The world's expanding waistline

the world was a examples was in 1202, when King John restrictions on advertising junk food to WHEN
simpler place, the of England first banned the children. It seems unlikely that it will rich were fat, the poor were thin, and
adulteration of bread. Governments and have much effect. Sweden already bans people worried about how to feed the people
seem to agree that ensuring the advertising to children, and its young hungry. Now, in much of the world, the safety and
stability of the food supply people are as fat as those in rich are thin, the poor are fat, and is part of the state's job. But obesity
is comparable countries. Other moves, people are worrying about obesity. a more complicated issue than food such as banning
junk food from safety. It is not about ensuring that schools, might work better.
Thanks to rising agricultural people don't get poisoned; it is about productivity, famine is rarer all over
the changing their behaviour. Should globe. According to the UN, the number governments be trying to do
anything The cost of • •
of people short of food fell from 920m about it at all?
in 1980 to 799m in 2000, even though A second plausible argument for the world's population increased by 1.6 There is a bad
reason for doing intervention is that thin people billion over the period. But the something, and a couple of good ones.
subsidise fat people through health consequence of this prosperity brings a The bad reason is that governments care. If
everybody is forced to pay for new problem and with it a host of should help citizens look after the seriously fat, then
everybody has interesting policy dilemmas. themselves. People, the argument goes, an interest in seeing them slim down.
Obesity is the world's biggest public- are misled by their bodies, which are This should not be a problem in health issue today —
the main cause Of constantly trying to store a few more insurance-financed health care heart disease, which kills more people
case of hunger in the near systems, such as America's. Insurance
calories in future. Governments should
help guide
these days than AIDS, malaria, war; the companies should be able to charge fat them towards better eating habits. But
principal risk factor in diabetes; heavily people more because they cost more. that argument is weaker in the case Of
implicated in cancer and other That leaves the question of what should food than it is for tobacco — nicotine is happen in a
state-financed health diseases. Since the World Health addictive, chocolate is not — people
Organisation labelled obesity an system. Why not tax fattening food — have a choice Of being sensible or silly.
'epidemic' in 2000, there have been sweets, snacks and takeaways? That
People should choose, not many reports on its fearful might discourage consumption
Of governments.
consequences. unhealthy food and also get back some Will public-health warnings, combined of the costs of obesity.

with media pressure, persuade people Get them It might; but it would also for be the too gain greatin to get thinner, just as
they finally put an intrusion on liberty them Off tobacco? There is now A better argument for intervention is equity and
efficiency it might (or might agreement among doctors that that dietary habits are established early not) represent. Society has
a legitimate governments should do something to in childhood. Once people get fat, it is interest in fat because fat and thin
help. hard for them to get thin; once they are people both pay for it. But it also has used to breakfasting on chips and Coke, a
legitimate interest in not having the it's hard to change. The state, which government interfere in people's by command? has
some responsibility for shaping private business. If people want to eat young people, should try to ensure that their way to
grossness and an early There's nothing new about the idea its small citizens aren't overdosing on grave, let them. that
governments should intervene in sugar at primary school. Britain's the food business. One of the earliest government is talking
about tough