First it was tobacco – now big food is in the firing line

LONDON — South Africa is high up on the list of the heavy weights in the world when it comes to obesity. Our diet of 'slap chips', 'pap and sheba' and increasing reliance on fast foods at outlets where you do not even have to get out of the car to get your burger or fried chicken, is taking its toll. Some studies find that South Africa's obesity figures is the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa, others indicate that 69% of women and 41% of men are overweight and even though some of these figures can be disputed, it is undeniable that we have a heavy problem. South Africa has joined other countries trying to curb the use of excess sugar with a sugar tax, but a report by the medical journal, the Lancet says these measures are not enough to address obesity and are calling for a treaty against junk food similar to the anti-tobacco and climate change campaigns. – Linda van Tilburg.In a report by 43 public health experts from 14 countries published in the medical journal, Lancet, the food and beverage industry known as "Big Food" is blamed not only for the expanding waistlines of consumers all over the world, but it also says the growth-focused food sector is feeding the world empty calories and depleting the world's natural resources. The scientists are calling for an international treaty and they want action from governments similar to the actions taken on climate change and tobacco use and they want to exclude the food and beverage industry from participating in formulating policy..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.In an interview with Bloomberg Adnana Durrani, the CEO of an organic food company in the United States, Saffron Road, said he agrees with the recommendation that the food and beverage industry can't regulate itself..You know, I think there's enough measures within the industry. I think the time is right now. As Victor Hugo used to say, "Not all the armies in the world can stop an idea whose time has come". Well, the time has come to have this independent research set up, just like it was for the tobacco industry and it really did a lot of good for our health system. So, I think you do need to have an independent study. It's like letting the fox into the chicken coop to let the Big Food companies run it..The beverage industry's response to the report was that it remains committed to the United Nations' call to improve public health with measures like offering lower and no calorie drinks, smaller packaging and responsible marketing. Coca- Cola said the authors take a restricted view to broad problems, while Nestlé said the company has tackled obesity and undernutrition for many years and they will continue to do so..I think recently, Big Foods has been reactive instead of really looking proactively at the future and now they're being more proactive. So, Big Food is doing a much better job. The Lancet report that came out was a very extensive study. You're talking about 14 countries over three years participating in this study and I think the study really pointed out to the fact that in the past, Big Foods' been a bad actor. They really have not… Look at the soda industry where they spend $15m trying to convince you that sugar was not the cause of Type 2 Diabetes in soda or that it was the cause of obesity. We know that's been debunked totally so now you look at them spending $20m per year, trying to pass the same messages so Big Food has not had a great history in this but they have a wonderful future in this. If you look at certain food companies, especially Nestlé for example, and the wonderful work they're doing with infant nutrition in terms of really putting out healthier products and beverages; they pivoted that. You're seeing a lot of Big Food companies paying attention that this is not just a fad but this is actually a big shift in consumer behaviour..However, organic foods and healthier choices are more expensive. For many poor people all over the world, it's often cheaper to buy fast foods than healthy alternatives. Mr Durrani says in the long-term healthy eating will be more sustainable..How much is it costing us not to do it? The health systems are really being strained. You're looking at food accounting for 30% of the greenhouse gases right now, so there could be a short-term expense to making sure that we pivot the food system because we're really in a crisis right now in the food system (what I call 'the urgency of now'). We need to react very quickly because there are systemic changes that are like a tsunami so it is going to have a slight impact in the short-term but long-term, the impact will be sustainable..The health and organic food industry is experiencing extensive growth, but in many countries it is still seen as a choice for more wealthy consumers, but consumers are changing their eating habits and millennials are leading the way..I think that we're seeing now, a pervasive systematic change in consumer behaviour, especially among millennial consumers and it's because of the advent of the information age. With the internet, a lot of millennial consumers want transparency. You really have to be bullet-proof, like Saffron Road is where we don't just make third-party claims. We make sure we have a neutral source making those claims, so you're seeing e.g. for us, it's Saffron Road. We're seeing tremendous growth in this category and so are a lot of smaller companies like us. As a matter of fact, ICG itself put out a report a couple of years ago – I mentioned it last time I was on your program – that 46% of the growth of the $800bn Food & Beverage Industry is coming from small companies like ours. We are seeing tremendous acceptance of natural and organic products throughout the company – not just coastally. We're seeing it in the mid-west. We're seeing it in the south. I think this is something the CPE's are finally reacting to and realise that they have to really pivot and shift the products that they're offering instead of offering junk food, because a pandemic isn't just about obesity. It's about having cheap, junk food out there..That was a Bloomberg interview with the CEO of Saffron Road, an organic food company on a recent Lancet report calling for international action against obesity, malnutrition and climate change. This is Linda van Tilburg in London for Biznews.

First it was tobacco – now big food is in the firing line

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