AMRC Calls for Measures to Tackle Obesity on War Footing

One of the leading doctors groups in Britain has called on for a slew of measures to tackle obesity, including banning advertising of junk food on television until after 9pm and fizzy drinks being taxed heavily. The Academy of the Medical Royal Colleges (AMRC) represents a very large majority of the 220,000 doctors in UK. Leading experts with the group said that the government should do more to tackle rising rate of obesity among children and called on for a ban on advertising of foods high in saturated fats, sugar and salt before 9pm.

It also proposed a 20 percent tax on sugary drinks and asked for ban on fast-food outlets near schools.

“Doctors are often accused of playing the nanny state, we didn’t hear from a single person who said they liked being overweight, everybody we met wanted help from the state and society. If we didn’t have things like this we wouldn’t have speed limits that save lives, we wouldn’t have drink-driving limits that save lives, there’s a host of things that society and state does to help us live long, healthy fulfilling lives and we’re just suggesting something similar”, the association’s chair, Professor Terence Stephenson said.

Source-Medindia