May 24, 2006
The visiting vice-president of the French parliament is urging New Zealand to ban all vending machines from schools as a way to combat obesity and and type 2 diabetes.
Yves Bur told MPs during a health select committee hearing on Wednesday that France pulled all 8,000 food and drink machines out of schools and child care centres last September.
It has also imposed taxes on alcopop drinks containing more than 35 grams of sugar and is moving to impose controls on food advertisers on children's television.
His message was backed by Medical Association chairman, Ross Boswell, who said children must be the focus of attempts at reducing obesity but they are heavily targeted by advertising.
He expressed support for some form of regulation of the type of food advertising aimed at children and a ban on all junk food advertising to children.
Doctors told the committee that it may be cheaper to pay schools to remove the machines than to continue meeting the health costs of obesity.
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