Nicola Young: Lead us not into temptation of sugary soft drinks

HEALTH RISK: Why is the Government not taking the advice of health experts that sugar-laden fizzy drinks should be treated more like tobacco with stronger rules in place? PHOTO/FILE

Sitting down to write my column on a sugar tax and the Government's $7million obesity plan released this week while eating a mini chocolate treat - hmmm, is that a sign I should stay away from this controversial topic?

I am no saint in regard to healthy eating and exercise so should stick to what I know - and it's good news, you don't have to change everything in one big revolution. Choosing little things can make a difference and may be easier to stick to than more radical approaches.

My latest improvement on the reducing-added-sugar front is "forgetting" to buy fruit juice. My boys, 6 and 4, had gotten into the habit of a glass of juice with breakfast - not the end of the world, although I have to admit not great when combined with the breakfast cereal I have on offer ...

Recently I have just started saying, "Sorry we've run out of juice," and offer them water or milk instead, and after a few days, the complaining is lessening. I might stick to this one and keep juice as an occasional treat when visiting the grandparents - a small step in the right direction.

The standard refrain of not having the wrong food in the cupboard does make all the difference. This is the household version of what the policy lingo calls "a health-promoting environment". On a wider scale, it's about what we do as a society to reduce temptation - schools offering only healthy foods and the Government setting limits on marketing sugar-sweetened drinks to children.

Auckland University health Professor Boyd Swinburn was quoted on Radio NZ this week as saying, "If you really want to do something about childhood obesity then [one of] the most cost-effective measures are restrictions on junk food marketing to kids."

Mr Swinburn also said a World Health Organisation (WHO) report released last month, co-chaired by New Zealand's chief science adviser Peter Gluckman, identified taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks and healthy food policies in schools, childcare centres and government agencies as key cost-effective actions. The New Zealand Medical Association also recommended a sugar tax in 2014.

So, why is the stick missing from the classic carrot-and-stick approach of addressing the wicked problem of increasing obesity in New Zealand? Why is the Government not taking the advice of health experts that sugar-laden fizzy drinks should be treated more like tobacco with stronger rules in place?

I think it's about the judgment our society places on overweight people - even children. Overweight people are seen as lazy or greedy - or both.

A series of tweets by @harvestbird explained it well: "it can be difficult in practice to distinguish between a public health problem and the individuals in that group ... measles is a public health problem, but people with measles are not vilified."

Her point, of course, was that we do criticise and belittle overweight people even though it's a complex public health issue. We don't focus on the society we have constructed with cheap takeaways available on every corner and widespread fizzy drink advertising.

This idea that the market has the answers and individuals need to change their behaviours can be used mischievously - of course, there is some truth in this, but it's a crude simplification. We don't leave the tobacco industry to manage their cigarette advertising rules and we support tax funding strong public health messages around quitting smoking. And we appreciate the cost benefits that flow back to our communities in reduced health expenditure and our friends and family living longer, healthier lives.

It's good that the Government is investing in ways to shake up our trajectory of increasing obesity but we should be using all the tools in the toolbox on this one - a sugar tax on soft drinks would be a good addition to the mix.

-Nicola Young has worked in the government and private sectors in Australia and NZ and now works from home in Taranaki for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.