Make war, not peace

He took on Big Bad Coke. Then he rapped King Khan on the knuckles for smoking on screen. Now, I wish Dr Anbumani...

He took on Big Bad Coke. Then he rapped King Khan on the knuckles for smoking on screen. Now, I wish Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, our evangelical health minister, would launch his promised crusade on junk food.

The time is now. Recently, a WHO report estimated that 2.6 billion children worldwide will suffer from obesity and its unholy trinity 8212; diabetes, heart disease and chronic arthritis 8212; by 2010, an epidemic that will strain the health care system of many countries. Last week, the Consumer Guidance Society of India peeked into the tiffins of 2,000 Indian kids to find the culprits 8212; packets of innocuous crisps, innocent biscuits and instant noodles.

How many of us know that MSG, a flavour enhancing 8216;excitotoxin8217; which causes asthma, diabetes, Alzheimer8217;s and Parkinson8217;s is found in practically every bottled, frozen, boxed, canned, or commercially prepared food? That the sugar in those 8216;healthy8217; digestive biscuits is the chief cause of hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder and violent behaviour? That the seemingly wholesome 8216;vegetable oil8217; in packaged crisps can clog young arteries and damage immature livers? Or that many 8216;permitted8217; class II preservatives, food colours and stabilisers like carrageenan, are used to create cancer cells in a laboratory?

There are over 3000 food additives, many of them un-researched, unregulated, and extremely addictive. Worse, in children, their damage is disproportionately higher, not only because kids are twice as susceptible to persuasive packaging as adults, but because their organs, responsible for detoxifying or removing harmful substances, are only half as effective as ours.

How can Dr Ramadoss protect our children from this legalised chemical warfare?

Firstly by making it unreachable. Today a small packet of MSG-laden chips costs barely five rupees, well within the grasp of the poorest of the poor. Imposing a prohibitive tax will at least ensure that those who can least afford health care are less likely to need it.

Secondly, by monitoring the 8216;pester power8217; advertising of these products, enthusiastically endorsed by movie stars and popular cartoon characters. In fact, Consumer International, a global consumer rights organisation, has urged the WHO to ban aggressive marketing of junk food to children, and enforce a code of conduct for manufacturers on the lines of the Infant Formula Rules.

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Thirdly, by insisting on clear labelling. This means mandatory listing of calorie value, fat, sugar and salt content, as well as additives and preservatives on every package. Thanks to virtually non-existent labelling laws, lethal chemicals are often passed off as 8216;enhancers8217; and 8216;flavours8217;, that make them sound harmless, if not outright salubrious. Incidentally, 8216;enhancers8217; can make your young Einstein dull and lethargic, while artificial flavours are well documented neurotoxins. Meanwhile, hidden sugars in 8216;natural8217; juices or breakfast cereals are often not mentioned at all.

Lastly, by educating both adults and children about the potential health hazards of so called 8216;convenience snacks.8217; Ironically, the term 8216;junk food8217; itself is a misnomer. Coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the US Centre for Science in the Public Interest in 1972, edible junk is not just passively disagreeable as its name implies, but actively toxic 8212; injurious enough to merit a statutory warning by a public health authority. If we still choose to poison our children, let it, at least, be an informed choice.

farah.bariaexpressindia.com