Dylan Thorne: Obesity battle has tobacco as model

In 2012, Kiwis were spending $1.5 billion on takeaways.

You don't have to look too hard to see the consequences of this country's increasingly poor diet.

A short trip to a busy mall will show you just how quickly our collective waistline is expanding.

It's not just adults who are piling on the weight, our children are getting bigger too, and it's not their fault. They are surrounded by unhealthy food options: processed and packaged foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt are readily available and relatively cheap.

In 2012, Kiwis were spending $1.5 billion on takeaways which represented a 25 per cent rise in four years.

For years now there has been debate about what should be done to address the trend.

Some say it is up to parents to ensure their children have a healthy diet (although this is becoming increasingly difficult given the sheer availability of unhealthy food options) while others advocate exercise or believe restrictions need to be placed on certain foods - particularly a tax on sugar.

Successive governments have been grappling with this problem for years but little headway has been made despite the alarming impact obesity can have on health.

The statistics surrounding obesity are frightening.

According to one Ministry of Health report, poor nutrition and obesity combined account for 11 per cent of health loss, death and disability in New Zealand.

Obesity is predicted to soon overtake smoking as the leading risk factor for disease. It stands to reason then that an approach similar to that taken to combat smoking needs to be adopted.

Tobacco sales shrank by 23 per cent from 2009 to 2013, no doubt as a result of restrictions on its advertising, promotion and display at the point of sale, and heavy taxation.

Earlier this year Britain decided to implement a sugar levy on soft drinks. The British Government plans to spend the £530 million (more than $1.1b) a year raised by the soft drink tax on primary school sports in England.

Since this announcement, there have been many calls for the New Zealand Government to consider a similar sugar levy.

However, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman earlier this year said he was keeping an eye on two major studies which looked at international evidence supporting the effectiveness of sugar tax which were due out at the end of next year.

Dr Coleman did not believe there was more evidence supporting the effectiveness of a tax on sugary drinks than the 22 strategies in the Government's existing plan to combat obesity in kids.

In my view, it's time for the Government to reconsider its stance on a sugar tax. Every effort needs to be made to improve children's health and reverse the appalling statistics that emerged this week.

If we are going to regulate on the basis of harm prevention, as with tobacco, then shouldn't the Government also be considering limits on fast-food advertising, and health warnings for unhealthy food choices?