Expert comment: What makes us fat and what can be done about it?

Dr Diogo M. de Souza Monteiro (PhD in Resource Economics) is a Lecturer in Food Economics and Marketing at Kent Business School, University of Kent and comments on the following news items:

Guardian – ‘Why our food is making us fat’

BBC – ‘The Men Who Made Us Fat’

What makes us fat and what can be done about it?

A recent article published in the Guardian and a BBC documentary suggest sugar, particularly glucose-fructose syrup, as a new culprit for what makes us fat. The rise of obesity across the world is one of the leading public health threats to societies. It imposes increasing social and economic costs. Particularly disturbing and challenging is the increase of child obesity as it is compromising the future of the next generation. Given the dimension of this problem in the US, it is no wonder that both Mrs Obama and Mr Bloomberg have been actively involved in fostering solutions to this problem.

Over the past thirty years, a number of private and public initiatives tackled obesity. One of such policies is the mandatory or voluntary display of nutrition labels in packaged foods. There is a lively debate in the food economics and marketing literature on the effectiveness of this policy. Another policy being debated is whether we should tax fat or sugars in certain food categories and what would be the likely impact. The food industry is increasingly under pressure to help solve the obesity crisis and is taking some initiatives. For example, it is limiting advertising of children’s sweets and reformulating products to reduce their fat, salt or sugar content. So, should we tax food or educate and inform the consumer? Or is there another way to sort this crisis? Clearly, any policy tackling obesity will impact business, as there is an apparent trade-off between profitability and public health expenditure. Finding adequate solutions will likely require contributions from experts across the natural and social sciences disciplines.

Here at the Kent Business School we are doing our share. We collaborate across the University and with colleagues overseas to investigate what motivates or hinders the display of nutrition information in package food. We are also determining whether food retailers use corporate social responsibility strategies to promote healthier food purchases and how are they increasing the proportion of healthier food in their assortment. Finally, we research whether mobile technologies can help consumers make better food choices in a store environment.

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