Canadians split on whether government should make it tougher to get unhealthy treats

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There are endless diet plans and workout routines promising to melt off the pounds; it’s evidence of just how many of us obesity is affecting.

But whose responsibility is it to trim us down? A new survey is looking at whether we think it’s up to government to put limits on what we bite into.

Most say government should stay out, arguing this is about personal freedom.

But Shachi Kurl with the Angus Reid Institute says that majority is a slim one, at just over 54 per cent. The rest say the government should make it more difficult to get those foods that cause us to loosen our belts.

“On one hand, we’re sort of saying ‘Look, these are our problems or our issues; let us deal with them individually.’ On the other hand, there is a level of support for seeing government get involved and take steps to restrict access to junk food or provide more information about what Canadians are actually putting in their mouths,” she explains.

Ideas getting lots of support include bringing in laws that mean nutritional information has to be on the front of all packaging, as well as banning the sale of junk food in schools and hospitals.

“What is interesting is that while support for some of these measures — such as requiring nutritional information to be on the front of packaging or requiring restaurants to display calorie counts on menus — are widely supported, that doesn’t necessarily mean we think that they are effective measures. So, when you compare whether or not we think some of these measures are going to be effective versus whether we support them, we’re in favour of these things. We’re also skeptical as to whether they’ll do any good.”

The survey found 58 per cent of Canadians have someone in their home — either themselves or someone else — who is overweight or obese.

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