No plans to withdraw king-size chocolate bars

By REBECCA WALSH

The king-size chocolate bar could soon become a thing of the past in Britain, and New Zealand anti-obesity campaigners are keen to see the move replicated here.

Cadbury in Britain says it will phase out king-size blocks next year as part of a drive to reduce the country's obesity problem.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the company in New Zealand and Australia said changes to portion sizes in New Zealand were possible but he would not comment on whether king-size chocolate bars would disappear from the shelves.

This month, New Zealand food, advertising and media organisations launched the Food Industry Accord, of which Cadbury is a member, with the aim of addressing obesity.

About one in three New Zealand children is overweight or obese. The figure for adults is about one in two.

The Cadbury Schweppes Australia New Zealand spokesman said the company offered consumers a range of sizes, "for individual consumption through to sharing".

As part of an "ongoing review" of portion sizes it had recently launched a twin pack of Turkish Delight. It also offered bite-size portions through its Chocettes range.

"We anticipate possible further changes to portion sizes as we continue with this review."

Dr Robyn Toomath, head of Fight the Obesity Epidemic, said Britain was well ahead of New Zealand in its initiatives to reduce obesity.

The food industry in this country, she said, had got away "scot-free".

"The Government in the UK means business on this issue and penalties will occur if they [the food industry] don't start falling into line."

She described the Food Industry Accord as a "talkfest" but hoped it would result in useful changes.

Dr Toomath believed "across-the-board measures" such as phasing out large sizes were more likely to be effective than public education.

Celia Murphy, executive director of the Obesity Action Coalition, said phasing out king-size chocolate bars was an "excellent idea".

There was evidence that the bigger the portion people were given, the more they would eat, often to the point where they ate more than they wanted.

"I would like to see king-size portions of everything vanish, in terms of huge muffins and the great big pieces of cake that are in cafes."

Ms Murphy said those sorts of moves would not solve the obesity epidemic but were among many changes - such as drinking water instead of soft drinks, getting off the bus a couple of stops early to walk the rest of the way home and choosing smaller portions - that would make a difference.

Slimming down

* Britain's Food and Drink Federation, which includes Coca-Cola, Kellogg's Kraft Foods, Nestle, Pepsi and Weetabix, has pledged to cut portion sizes.

* The decision follows Government pressure to promote healthy eating and stop aggressive marketing of sugary and fatty foods to children.

* The companies have also promised to make their products healthier by reducing sugar, salt and fat.