Food Business News - November 22, 2011 - 9

Editorial

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-chief Morton I. Sosland Executive editor, markets Neil N. Sosland Editor L. Joshua Sosland Executive editor Keith Nunes Senior editor, markets Jay S. Sjerven Managing editor Eric J. Schroeder Associate editor Jeff Gelski Assistant editor Ron Sterk Internet editors Allison Gibeson Erica Shaffer Graphic designer, market graphics, data Christina Sullivan

knunes@sosland.com

KEITH NUNES

Complexity of obesity issue must not be underestimated

PUBLISHING STAFF Chairman Charles S. Sosland Vice-chairman L. Joshua Sosland President and publisher Mark Sabo Associate publisher David DePaul G. Michael Gude Bruce Webster Vice-president, chief ﬁnancial ofﬁcer Melanie Hepperly Audience development director Don Keating Advertising manager Nora Wages Director of design services Sadowna Conarroe Circulation manager Judith Arnone Digital systems analyst Marj Potts Manager of advertising design Becky White Director of e-Business Jon Hall Director of on-line advertising and promotions Carrie Fluegge Promotions manager Taré Torres WE’RE EAGER TO RECEIVE YOUR FEEDBACK: E-mail editor@sosland.com or write to us at Food Business News, 4800 Main Street, Suite 100, Kansas City, Mo, 64112

s the debate regarding how best to ad- obesity rates by ﬁnding ways to cut intake on dress the rising rates of obesity among sugar-sweetened beverages or fast food. But children and adults in the United States as a recent study in the Archives of Pediatrics continues to evolve it may be helpful to review & Adolescent Medicine shows, the banning of exactly how consumers are occupying the time sugar-sweetened beverages in schools does not in which they are eating and drinking. Data pub- appear to reduce overall consumption among lished by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s adolescents. The study found that just banning Economic Research Service highlight primary soda in schools did not limit consumption and and secondary eating occasions, the activities even a ban of all sugar-sweetened beverages consumers are engaging in during those occa- in schools, while limiting access, did not limit sions, and correlate the activities to the body overall consumption. mass index of the participants. A review of the Researchers from the University of Illinois data highlights a single activity that appears to at Chicago examined state policies that stand out — television watching. banned all sugar-sweetened beverages in This insight is important, because as schools compared with states that banned only smart-phones and tablet computers become soda or had no beverage policy for in-school more ubiquitous, and as the opportunities to view content Many governmental and public health efforts to date become dramatically more numerous, the challenge of have focused on singular causes and ignored the broad convincing consumers to adopt a more active lifestyle may range of issues that contribute to the problem. grow. It also highlights the role individual behavior plays in the relationship between diet, purchases to determine whether the policies activity and obesity. Published in early November, the Economic were associated with reduced in-school access Research Service’s study, titled “How much and purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages. time do Americans spend on food?,” reviewed The authors also sought to determine if these time use patterns related to food for consumers polices were associated with reduced overall above the age of 15. The report found that consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages on an average day over a three-year period among adolescents. The study included 6,900 students from between 2006 to 2008 Americans spent about 2.5 hours eating or drinking. Slightly less public schools in 40 states, who were sampled than half of that time, 67 minutes, was spent during their ﬁfth and eighth grade years, spring in eating and drinking as a “primary” or main 2004 and 2007, respectively, and had completed activity. The remaining time was spent in questionnaires about their in-school access to eating and drinking while doing something and purchase of sugar-sweetened beverages, else considered secondary such as watching as well as their overall consumption of sugartelevision, driving, preparing meals for others, sweetened beverages. The authors found that working, or traveling to a meal destination such the proportion of students who reported inschool sugar-sweetened beverage access and as a restaurant and waiting to eat. Those who engaged in secondary eating purchasing were similar in states that banned or drinking while driving, working, grooming only soda (66.6% and 28.9%) compared with or during meal preparation and clean up had states with no beverage policy (66.6% and 26%, lower-than-average B.M.I.s, while those who respectively). The complexity of the obesity problem may engaged in secondary eating while watching television had higher-than-average B.M.I.s. not be overstated, but many governmental and Obese individuals spent just over three public health efforts to date have focused on hours watching television per day, about 37 singular causes and ignored the broad range of minutes more than those with normal weight, issues that contribute to the problem. Future progress will require efforts that focus on according to the study. Against this backdrop, it’s worthwhile to changing behavior rather than trying to control look at the highly intense efforts at lowering what people eat. FBN

November 22, 2011

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Food Business News - November 22, 2011

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