Urgent action demanded on diet and obesity

New Zealand has made “little progress” in implementing healthy food policies aimed at tackling the country’s high rate of childhood obesity and other diet-related illnesses, according to a University of Auckland report.

It says a global system for rating government policy has revealed “major implantation gaps” for initiatives that include restrictions on marketing unhealthy food to children and preventing fast-food outlets from operating near schools.

The national report found that around 70 per cent of NZ’s policy action indicators were either ranked as “low”, or showing “very little if any” progress.