Western Ag Policies Blamed for Obesity

The agricultural policies of the world's top producing nations are contributing to the increasing problem of obesity in developing nations, a leading researcher said Monday.

Such policies favor high-fat, high-energy products over basic fruits and vegetables, said Dr. Philip James, the British chairman of the International Obesity Task Force.

"The trade policies that are currently in play are those which subsidize and distort the market to make fats and sugars cheaper and fruits and vegetables more expensive," James said during a break in the 10th International Obesity Congress in Sydney.

As a result, many developing countries are now seeing dramatic increases in their rates of obesity, thanks to an influx of subsidized sugar and fat-based products from the United States and Europe.

In China, for example, the rate of obesity has risen from almost zero in the 1980s to about 10 percent of the population in 2006 due to massive imports of cheap meat products, and soy and palm-based oils, James said.

"The health profile of China is being transformed in front of our eyes," he said, adding that the rates of heart disease and diabetes are on the rise.

Pakistan, India and several South Pacific countries also have seen recent increases in obesity rates and related health conditions, he said.

Negotiations in the five-year long World Trade Organization talks were suspended indefinitely in July after the United States and Europe refused to cut barriers in farm trade such as tariffs and subsidies.

James, who has advised British Prime Minister Tony Blair on nutrition policy, believes the collapse of the trade talks provides an opportunity to radically rethink agricultural policy to create economic opportunities for the developing world and improve global health.

The International Obesity Task Force is a section of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, a professional organization of scientists and health workers in some 50 countries.

The association organized the International Congress on Obesity, which will hear research and papers from almost 400 experts before wrapping up on Friday.

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On the Net:

International Congress on Obesity: http://www.ico2006.com