Steps to Control Obesity, diabetes and hypertension: Does Industry have a role?

Steps to Control Obesity, diabetes and hypertension: Does Industry have a role? The Lancet Lecture;
Dr George Mensah
Cardiology and Diabetes at the Limits, Cape Town, Feb 2011.

In the past 30 years, the distribution curve for BMI has moved dramatically to the right in the USA and many parts of the world. This means that there is a pandemic of diabetes and all of the corresponding non-communicable diseases (NCD) that this will cause.

The role that the developed world and its commercial companies can play was highlighted.

The following slides (entitled “Michael Angelo’s David returns after a short visit to the USA” brought much amusement):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristadawn/2422391654/

The factors driving the obesity epidemic were explored and some further detail can be found at www.foresight.gov.uk.

The speaker is now a VP for PepsiCo having enjoyed a distinguished career as a cardiologist and working at the CDC in Atlanta (USA). He pointed out that good companies can still make money by selling the right things and this is the philosophy which is now being adopted by the IFBA Alliance https://www.ifballiance.org/.

There seems to determination though. The PepsiCo goal is to reduce the “Triple S” (Sodium, Sugar and Saturated Fats) by 25%, 25% and 15% over the next few years. This may seem a small drop in a vast ocean, however it should be noted that through altering the production of Walkers Potato Crisps in the UK alone, PepsiCo have already achieved a reduction in the overall UK saturated fat intake of 40, 000 tons. This is no mean feat!

In concluding Dr Mensah quoted an old African proverb –it seems very pertinent to the issues the food industry faces in 2011:
“If you want to go somewhere fast – go alone”
“If you want to go somewhere far - go together”