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Current Issue
From the Editor....
Obesity has hit epidemic proportions world wide. And Australia, like most other first world, fast food nations is one of the worst affected places on earth.
A recent study of 1200 average Queenslanders found that 50 per cent of them were overweight. Even more disturbingly, six out of 10 survey subjects over 35 years of age were overweight. Nationally, most experts agree that around one in four Australia is classified either as overweight or obese.
The reasons why we have transformed into a nation of fatties are well documented. Too much junk food, too little exercise. Burgers and chips are a quick fix in a busy day, while our hectic schedules and the lure of more sedentary activities like watching television – make the thought of exercise unappealing to many.
Like all indulgences, there is a price to pay for our sloth. Being overweight at 40 reduces the human lifespan by seven years on average. Diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver are all directly associated with obesity and lack of exercise.
While talk fests like the recent Obesity Summit are useful in terms of making both the public and politicians aware of the crisis, real change will only occur when both the public and the food industry itself acknowledges the magnitude of the problem and the urgency of correcting it.
Foodservice is, to a large extent, at the whim of its customers. A menu full of salads will not convince customers hungry for fried chicken to change their eating habits – instead they'll just find somewhere else to eat. But the foodservice sector can play its part in helping to tackle obesity by offering as many healthy menu options as possible, by taking every opportunity to enlighten diners about the benefits of lower fat eating and most importantly, by acknowledging that the obesity crisis can only be overcoming by every one of us doing their share.
Cindy Dowling,
Editor
A recent study of 1200 average Queenslanders found that 50 per cent of them were overweight. Even more disturbingly, six out of 10 survey subjects over 35 years of age were overweight. Nationally, most experts agree that around one in four Australia is classified either as overweight or obese.
The reasons why we have transformed into a nation of fatties are well documented. Too much junk food, too little exercise. Burgers and chips are a quick fix in a busy day, while our hectic schedules and the lure of more sedentary activities like watching television – make the thought of exercise unappealing to many.
Like all indulgences, there is a price to pay for our sloth. Being overweight at 40 reduces the human lifespan by seven years on average. Diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver are all directly associated with obesity and lack of exercise.
While talk fests like the recent Obesity Summit are useful in terms of making both the public and politicians aware of the crisis, real change will only occur when both the public and the food industry itself acknowledges the magnitude of the problem and the urgency of correcting it.
Foodservice is, to a large extent, at the whim of its customers. A menu full of salads will not convince customers hungry for fried chicken to change their eating habits – instead they'll just find somewhere else to eat. But the foodservice sector can play its part in helping to tackle obesity by offering as many healthy menu options as possible, by taking every opportunity to enlighten diners about the benefits of lower fat eating and most importantly, by acknowledging that the obesity crisis can only be overcoming by every one of us doing their share.
Cindy Dowling,
Editor
