Health groups want fat tax and free fruit and veges

Health campaigners are calling for free fruit and vegetables and a billion-dollar-a-year "fat tax" on unhealthy food to help fight the obesity epidemic.

Diabetes New Zealand and Fight the Obesity Epidemic (Foe) said a joint report they issued yesterday showed that a tax on fatty foods and soft drinks was viable and justifiable.

"A fat tax is the only way to make a significant impact on obesity rates in New Zealand," said Foe spokeswoman Robyn Toomath.

"Public health education strategies have their place, as outlined in the recent Ministry of Health Heha [Healthy Eating, Healthy Action] report, but these strategies alone are not going to be sufficient to reduce the rate of obesity."

The Public Health Association yesterday called on the Government to give free fruit and vegetable vouchers to poor families and to try free breakfasts in primary schools.

Association director Gay Keating said the Government's social report ranked New Zealand at 22 out of 27 Western countries in the late 1990s for obesity and noted that obesity was linked to poverty, especially for women.

"The Government needs to start looking at some radical options to ensure healthy food is available for everyone," Dr Keating said.

Dr Toomath said the 1956 Public Health Act should be revised to restrict advertising of some foods on television and their sale to children in schools.

Yesterday's report suggested $1 billion a year - or $5 a person a week - was needed to cover the costs of treating obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, sleep apnoea and heart disease.

Money raised could also fund prevention programmes.

- NZPA