Garth George: Fat chance of winning war on food

I wonder how long it will take before the doom-sayers come to understand that many deep-seated problems that afflict our nation today are not the fault of the government, business, or any other institution, but the result of the refusal to take personal responsibility which pervades our society.

We have seen this taken to the extreme in the campaign against smoking, in which tobacco, and the companies which market it perfectly legally, are blamed for the deaths and health problems smoking is alleged - and I use that word advisedly - to cause.

Yet in spite of all the bans and prohibitions which have been unfairly forced on the industry, hundreds of thousands of people still smoke. And unless they use personal responsibility for either not starting or quitting, they will continue to exercise their right to choose.

Those who look to a smokefree New Zealand are deluding themselves.

And now the fast-food industry is in the gun. An Auckland report this week tells us that health officials worried about what they call an "obesity epidemic" want fast-food advertising dropped from public property, including bus shelters, and are questioning fast-food and soft-drink sponsorship of public events.

They have also raised concerns about the lack of political power to stop fast-food restaurants being built near schools and in poor areas.

Sound familiar? That's just how the anti-smoking campaign started. And, once again, the blame is being cast on those who provide fast-food and not upon those who eat far too much of it and get fat.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service is aiming for a return to the "healthy-eating" principles which led to the national ban on pies in school tuck shops, one of the last moves of the outgoing Labour government in 2008. But it lasted only eight months, before being - quite rightly - tossed out by the National Government.

According to these sadly misguided do-gooders, 35 per cent of Year 9 students in the Auckland District Health Board area are classified overweight and another 35 per cent are obese.

I don't believe that for a moment. Those figures are preposterous. They are no doubt based on the statistically limited Body Mass Index, which takes no account of things like bone density, muscularity and a whole bunch of other human biological and genetic physical variations.

I wonder how much of our deterioration in sporting accomplishment can be laid at the door of the ban on tobacco companies from sponsoring sport. Remember Rothmans?

Okay, now look at McDonald's, the prince of fast-food providers in this country.

Few firms of any sort have become so involved in the community, and McDonald's efforts are particularly worthwhile.

Through its Ronald McDonald cartoon character, the firm has provided a number of facilities to help families with sick children and in two areas of the country - South Auckland and Northland where child dental health is at it worst - provides $500,000 mobile dental units for kids.

There are four houses to accommodate families of children in hospital in Auckland (2), Wellington, and Christchurch; two family rooms in Auckland and Wellington for the same purpose; a family retreat on the lakeside here in Rotorua where families with sick kids can take a holiday break; and a family unit at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.

Are these to be sacrificed on the altar of the obesity freaks?

According to Auckland health board clinical director Robyn Toomath the overturning of the tuck shop rules marked the beginning of a struggle to change behaviour through Parliament.

"I've spent a lot of time trying to persuade central government to take responsibility for these things. At the moment, that's not happening ..."

My fervent hope is that it never does.

garth.george@hotmail.com.