Taking a bite out of fast food
An expose ' details the industry's attack on health,
Published: 31/07/2010 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post: Newspaper section: News 
The international fast food industry is huge and has no boundaries. It is estimated that US$36 billion (1.2 trillion baht) is spent each year to market products such as fried chicken, hamburgers, pizza and soda to foster brand awareness and loyalty, particularly among young people all over the world.
And Thailand is not left out of the equation.
Thai youngsters are growing up loving fast food and junk food despite how unhealthy it is, which is leading to an obesity epidemic.Over the past five years, there has been a 40% increase in obesity among Thai children under the age of six. About 22 million people over the age of 15 are considered obese, according to the Public Health Ministry.
Many people are starting to ask who is responsible and how we can fix the problem, especially as it affects children.
A group of Thai health specialists has recently found some answers in a book entitled Appetite for Profit , written by Michele Simon, an American public health lawyer.
They said the book helps change the way people think about food; guides readers to understand the real motives behind food companies' public relations campaigns; and educates consumers about nutrition and food for children.
Four years after Appetite for Profit was first published in the US, the book has been translated into Thai and will be launched tomorrow.
The translation and distribution of Appetite for Profit was commissioned by the Chulalongkorn University-based Health Consumer Protection Project.
The book makes a case to convince consumers why they should be wary about corporate food conglomerates' social responsibility campaigns and details consumer groups' battles against powerful food lobbyists in the US.
"The influence of the food industry isn't limited to the US, but extends all over the world," said Siriwat Tiptaradol, Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary and the editor of the Thai version of the book.
In Thailand, US-style fast-food outlets selling chicken, chips, hamburgers and pizza are mushrooming, particularly in big cities. Children and teenagers frequent these restaurants very often.A random study by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF) on the eating behaviour of children from kindergarten to Mathayom 3 showed most gained about 1.5-2kg during the one-month school break, as they tended to eat more snacks and junk food and drank sugary drinks such as yoghurt beverages, soda and sweetened milk.
These warning signs have prompted health authorities such as the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to step up measures to curb the problem.
In 2004, the FDA reviewed regulations covering junk food labelling and advertising after a THPF study found children spend up to 160 billion baht nationwide a year on junk food.
In 2006, the FDA planned to force manufacturers of about 7,000 international and local snack brands to carry colour-coded stickers to indicate the nutrition levels of five snack products - potato crisps, popcorn, biscuits, crackers, and cream-filled wafers - based on energy, fat, sodium and sugar.
The move was aimed at discouraging children from gorging on food that is high in sugar, fat and salt content.For example, red labels would have been placed on products with more than 24 grammes of sugar,
yellow would be used for snacks with 12 to 24 grammes,
and green for products with less than 12 grammes - an amount considered acceptable for children.
Nutritionists recommend that daily sugar consumption not exceed 24 grammes or six teaspoons. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure and obesity.
However, the labelling proposal was shelved following strong complaints from snack manufacturers made through the Federation of Thai Industries that it would hurt their business. Some even threatened to file suit against the FDA in the Administrative Court if it failed to impose the same requirements on all snack products.
Chapter 10 of Appetite for Profit, "Battling Big Food in Schools" and chapter 11, "Regulating Junk Food Marketing to Children" report on how some giant soft drink companies in the US have offered financial support and sporting equipment to schools in exchange for them installing soda vending machines.
In Thailand, a survey by the Office of the Basic Education Commission found that sodas are available at 20% of the 20,000 schools in the country.
A study by the Bangkok-based Sweet Enough Network, which promotes ways to lessen sugar consumption among children, found some schools had agreed to allow a beverage giant to sell soda on school property in exchange for the company providing a van.
Although the scale of the problem in this country is not as severe as in the US, Dr Siriwat believes the book offers reasons for local readers to be cautious of local and international food giants.
Developing countries like Thailand should be alert about this transnational issue and work with authorities, academics, and the public and private sectors to come up with policies to safeguard people from conditions that result from poor diet such as diabetes, high blood pressure and strokes.
Otherwise, these problems will end up costing billions of baht in health care spending every year, he said.
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