Tasty Bites From Around The World February 06

Tasty Bites from Around the World

February 2006

In this section we bring you a selection of the food and beverage stories currently grabing the world headlines ..

Child Obesity is now one of the biggest threats to our general health....

Global drinks firms, including Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes, have unveiled a European initiative aimed at tackling the problem of obese children… reports the BBC.

Unesda, the Union of European Beverages Associations, said it would limit youth advertising, control sales in schools and improve nutritional labels.
It also pledged a wide range of drinks, including sugar-free and low-calorie, in container sizes that limit intake.
The European Union has singled obesity out as a major threat to public health.
Markos Kyprianou, the European Union (EU) commissioner for health and consumer affairs, last year set out plans to combat a rise in obesity and better educate consumers on how to live more healthy lives.
He called on drinks and food companies to liaise with Brussels, as well as health and consumer groups, and take steps towards finding a solution.

Stephen Kehoe, chair of the Unesda Task Force that will monitor the implementation of the plans and an executive at PepsiCo Europe, called the proposals a "significant move by the industry".
"This is the first time ever that the major beverage producers in Europe come together to jointly define their commitments related to responsible sales and marketing practices, especially to children and schools," he explained.

As part of the proposals

*Unesda members have undertaken to not to put "any marketing communication in printed media, websites or during broadcast programmes specifically aimed at children under the age of 12".
*It also will "avoid any direct appeal to children under the age of 12 to persuade parents or other adults to buy beverages for them".
*Direct commercial activity will halt completely in primary schools "unless otherwise requested by school authorities", while in secondary schools "a full range of beverages will be made available in appropriate container sizes, allowing for portion control" only after consultation with parents and educators.
*Vending machines will not be branded and will promote healthy and active lifestyles, as well as balanced diet.
*Nutrition labels on cans and bottles will be improved to let consumers know what they are drinking and help them control calorie intake.

One drinks company representative in the UK told the BBC that the main driving force behind the changes were the consumers themselves, many of whom were demanding healthier options.
As a result, the number of calories being drunk by consumers in the UK has already dropped, he explained.

......and on the subject of our eating habits ....

Do beer drinkers eat more junk food than wine drinkers?

Beer drinkers are more likely to buy unhealthy food such as chips and ready meals than people who prefer wine, a study reported by the BBC suggests.

A Danish team studying 3.5m supermarket transactions found wine buyers bought more olives, fruit and vegetables.
Beer drinkers meanwhile chose fattier, meatier options!The team suggested the food factor may explain why wine appears to have a beneficial impact on health.
Several previous studies have reported that drinking wine is linked to lower mortality rates than drinking beers and spirits.
According to the research team, at the National Institute of Public Research in Copenhagen, wine buyers also bought more poultry, cooking oil and low-fat cheese than beer buyers.
Beer lovers were attracted to cold cuts, chips, pork, butter, margarine, sausages, lamb and soft drinks.

The team said they chose to analyse supermarket transactions instead of asking subjects what they consumed because self-reporting of alcohol and food intake could be unreliable.
They said: "Because we used information on what people buy, and presumably consume, rather than what they eat or drink, it (the study) was not flawed by under-reporting or over-reporting bias."
The research appears to bear out a stereotype of lager louts who get their meals from kebab shops and fast food outlets.
The researchers said earlier studies had suggested that people who drink wine in Denmark tend to have a higher level of education, wealth, psychological functioning and subjective health than those that do not.

An earlier Californian study suggested that those who drank beer tended to be less-educated men who with a higher alcohol intake.
A spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association said it was not the case that all beer drinkers were not interested in good food.
He said: "The fact that the exclusive London restaurant Le Gavroche has a beer menu and the fact that celebrity chefs Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White and Anthony Worrell Thompson and others have pubs shows they understand that people who drink beer appreciate fine food."

....and talking of foods consumed while drinking...

More Next Month....

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