Call For All States To Follow Nsw And Vic On Menu Labelling

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8th November 2010, 06:27pm - Views: 1271





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Date: 8 November 2010

Contact: Rebecca Cook - 0438 316 435 


Call for all states to follow NSW and

Vic on menu labelling 



The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) is calling on all states and territories to follow the

lead of the New South Wales and Victorian Governments in announcing new laws

that require food chain outlets to include kilojoule counts for each item on their

menus.    


Jane Martin, senior policy adviser for the OPC, said that menu labelling had been

effective in helping consumers to choose lower energy products in certain parts of

America where the scheme was already in operation. 

"Clearer labelling on menus at fast food outlets will help consumers sort the fat from

the fiction at a glance. We know this has proven effective overseas. Giving

consumers information about the amount of kilojoules in a menu item empowers

them to make lower energy choices. This is particularly important when you consider

that within five years one-third of Australians will be obese.

“Many consumers would be surprised to find that some seemingly innocuous items

such as frappes and smoothies contain around a quarter of an adult's recommended

daily energy intake. To make matters worse many products with healthy sounding

names have some of the highest levels of energy,” she said.

The OPC said the NSW Government’s commitment on menu labelling, announced

yesterday, was a positive step following the Victorian Government’s similar

announcement earlier this year; however, it would like to see menu labelling

implemented nationally to benefit all Australians. 

“We hope the Blewett labelling review will provide further impetus for a national

approach to menu labelling,” said Ms Martin. 

Ms Martin said consumers would also benefit from further nutritional information on

menus such as sugar, salt and saturated fat, and the use of traffic light colours to

indicate the levels of these nutrients. 

About the Obesity Policy Coalition 

The Obesity Policy Coalition is a group of leading public health agencies who are

concerned about the escalating levels of overweight and obesity, particularly in

children.


The Obesity Policy Coalition partners include Diabetes Australia - Vic, Cancer

Council Victoria, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and the World

Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin

University.







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