The Canadian Senate has woken up to the sad fact that obesity is a problem and thousands are dying from complications related to having an unhealthy weight.
But what is the solution? Our modern lifestyles don't easily include exercise, and processed food and beverages are cheap and convenient. What's more, the food and beverage processing industry in Canada is big, accounting for 2% of our gross domestic product. Canada also imports billions of dollars of processed food and our grocery stores are well-stocked with it.
It would be easy just to slap a tax on these foods, change the Canada Food Guide rules and stop advertising junk food to children. But those are minor changes.
Instead, maybe there should be laws restricting sugar, fats and salt in highly processed foods children eat, such as breakfast cereal, crackers, juice and granola bars, along with more education about easy whole-food alternatives for parents.
These are foods that appear to be healthy but are part of the problem.
