Health Concerns

In keeping with the holiday....

Part One:

The “buzz” continues to buffet meat and the food industry’s role in an epidemic of obesity. F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009 a report issued by the Trust for America’s Health, says adult obesity rates increased in 23 states in 2008, down from 37 states the previous year, but still alarming to most health professionals. With the emphasis in national government on containing costs, the realization that fat people wouldn’t die earlier (and thereby save the health care system money) but will live as long, but be sicker and require more intervention, is now sinking in.

The report cited 16 states with an increase in obesity rates for the 2nd straight year, while 11 states increased for a third year in a row. No states decreased. The rate of adult obesity now tops 25% in 31 states, up from 28 states in 2008. The obesity rate exceeds 20% in 49 states. As recently as 1991, no states had obesity rates of more than 20%, and in 1980, the national average of obese adults was 15%. The full report is available here.

Part Two:

At the same time as pressure is being applied on the obesity front, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is urging meats carry warning labels advising consumers to eat meat no more than 3x per week, and dairy no more than 3x per day. Meat production is already under fire for contributing to the rise in greenhouse gases, whether from cow manure and belching (aggravated by feedlots where beef are fed corn, not part of their natural diet), producing the fertilizer from fossil fuels to grow feed for cows & pigs, or transporting the meat products to market.

Now the WWF is suggesting “Meat Free Mondays” with a pr push backed by Sir Paul McCartney in the UK. The organization claims UK consumers eat 70% more meat than they should and ingest 40% more dairy products. In addition to scaling back on meat, WWF is encouraging shoppers to consider meat substitutes like soy and rice, and is asking manufacturers to use less meat in processed foods and ready meals. The British Meat Processors Association has tried to soften the blow, pointing out the “complexity” of the food production/consumption footprint, and that eating meat has positive social, nutritional and economic benefits.

Dairy UK has taken a tougher stance condemning the WWF’s effort to “remove one of the nation’s most popular foods from the shelves.” The campaign against meat continues elsewhere in the EU: the Belgian city of Ghent is promoting a meatless day once a week, and Sweden’s government is seeking comment on proposed regulations that would look at the health and environmental impact of meat consumption. The new guidelines would alert citizens they currently average 65kg of meat per year, 10kg more than 10 years ago, and much more than nutrition requires.

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