-
Related
The Obesity Action Coalition says there is a lack of national leadership and co-ordination on the issue.
Parliament's health select committee is hearing submissions on Wednesday on its inquiry into obesity and type 2 diabetes in New Zealand.
The coalition's executive director Celia Murphy told the committee there is a lot of good work happening to tackle the problem, but it is not co-ordinated in any way.
Murphy says the DHBs are working with different communities that have specific needs, but there are overall issues that affect the whole country, and that is where national direction is needed.
Meantime, wider access to stomach stapling operations is being mooted as a way of addressing the obesity epidemic.
Fight the Obesity Epidemic told the select committee taxes on fatty foods would help eliminate temptation and address the problem more effectively than better nutritional education.
More extreme options such as stomach stapling were also raised, which the group says would rid younger obese people of type 2 diabetes for a couple of decades and reduce the need for expensive dialysis treatment in the future.
The Obesity Action Coalition says New Zealand's food supply needs to be the first target, as people need healthier options. But the Food and Grocery Council is fighting any regulation of the food industry, saying if eaten in moderation, there are no unhealthy foods.
