Sugar ban

The Queensland government are moving to ban the sale and marketing of junk food and sugary drinks from public hospitals by the end of 2018, to fight obesity. Vending machines and cafes will be required to stock healthier products, with guidelines set for  healthier food and drink choices with a ban on soft drinks, chocolate, lollies, burgers and deep fried foods. The Australian Beverages Council are unhappy with the decision claiming that less than 2% of daily kilojoules are consumed from soft drinks, with a fraction of that being consumed in hospital cafes. But the facts speak differently with a quarter of Queensland children being overweight or obese, showing the urgent need to limit access to unhealthy choices. The Cancer Cancer has welcomed the decision saying that sugary drinks are a major source of sugar for children, and that our responsibility as a community and healthy authority is to facilitate healthy choices and limit the consumption of sugar laden drinks and junk food, especially regulating the promotion and exposure of junk food to children.