Now we must avoid obesity pandemic
AS we look to our children getting back to school and the lessons of the pandemic become ever clearer, it’s time to take stock and make some changes.
Different people have suffered differently, with poor and overweight people as usual suffering more. Limited and unhealthy nutrition, be it from choice, poverty or ignorance, makes people more vulnerable to illness and leads to the simple tendency; the poor die young.
Give him his due, the Prime Minister seemed to realise this when he had his brush with mortality at St Thomas’ Hospital. And unlike many of us he is reported as having done something about it and lost a bit of weight.
Some may feel he should not have dispensed with his tongue rather than his brain, but that’s an unkind jibe!
Some weeks ago we heard reports the Government was going to ban some promotion of unhealthy food and we would hope the moves to nourish needy children who were missing out on nutritious school dinners have done something to help. But apart from news reports, I’ve not noticed much change.
Predictably some with vested interests squealed about the economy (meaning their profits from making people fat). Well, they would, wouldn’t they?
Of course people should be educated and given healthy choices; indeed many children in schools already take them – gone is the ‘take it or leave it’ option. But this depends on information and labelling and Which?, the Consumers’ Association website, tells us that such labelling is in jeopardy with the Government back-tracking under pressure from the US in relation to sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
America wants our trade to “Establish new and enforceable rules to eliminate unjustified trade restrictions or unjustified commercial requirements (including unjustified labeling) that affect new technologies.”
That means not warning consumers if some new untried chemical treatment has been used.
The problem is that the US has already tried similar strong-arming with Mexico, only to be rejected by some states which have just enacted laws prohibiting sugar-sweetened beverages being sold to minors – categorising them akin to cigarettes and alcohol.
Further national legislation is being brought in with predictable push-back from profiteers.
As I drink my sugared coffee I think “Which side will win here – friends of business or friends of children?” This may seem an oversimplification but businesses can change and people be retrained for jobs with a future. Surely that’s a price worth paying to avoid the coming obesity pandemic?
Jim Sharp, Stockport
Our money is being wasted
SO Manchester council has been fined for failing to declare donations (M.E.N., August 20).
I am sure if another political party on the council did the same Councillor Karney would be looking for blood!
Karney also needs to tell residents how FC United, a private football club, was able to get £170,000 in a grant from the leisure budget in April during Covid. This information was provided in a letter to Viewpoints from a resident.
But more galling – the club has had over £1m since 2011.
Who will fine the council for wasting our council tax? Samuel Shepherd, Crumpsall
This sums it all up nicely
I THINK the following could be an apt description of the Government’s handling of most things:
“We need a more blue-sky approach to systemised thirdgeneration flexibility. At base level, this just comes down to compatible modular alignment.
“Forward-looking companies invest in holistic reciprocal timephases. This is no time to bite the bullet with our ‘Outside the box’ logistical consulting.
“We need a more contemporary reimagining of our millennial thirdgeneration hardware.”
Alan Caddick, via email
Support the PDSA Walk
AT PDSA, we provide life-saving care to pets in need and believe no pet should suffer due to financial hardship. But the coronavirus pandemic has left us facing a national crisis. With the country plunged into financial uncertainly, and more than a million extra Universal Credit claims, we expect the number of pets needing our help to increase by around 50,000. So support from local animal lovers is needed now more than ever.
We’re urging dog owners and their four-legged friends to put their best paw forward and support our vital service by signing up to the World Big Dog Walk Challenge.
All you need to do is choose a suitable distance for you and your dog to complete during September.
Our veterinary service has been a lifeline to so many pets and their owners across the UK during the crisis, so by choosing to support PDSA through this fun virtual event, we can continue our vital work saving sick and injured pets in need.
Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/worldbig dogwalk to sign up.
Lynne James, PDSA Vet