Although New Zealand has implemented healthy food policies, researchers do not agree with their effectiveness. This is due to the fact that according to researchers, two out of three adults and one in three children are overweight or obese in New Zealand.
Governments around the world have been called into action to enforce plans to address unhealthy food environments. The New Zealand government has not acted in 74 per cent of the recommended healthy food policy areas, according to a report published by the University of Auckland.
This report is just one of many surfacing that will judge governments around the world on what they are doing to support and encourage healthy food choices. These support measures were promised at the UN General Assembly in 2011 and repeated in July 2014, as a way to help achieve targets for reducing diet-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity by 2025.
While the New Zealand government did a good job with regulating ingredient lists and nutrition claims on food packages, there are a number of changes they had not yet made. This list includes restricting junk food advertising to children, fast food menu labeling, using sales exemptions or taxes to promote healthier foods, protecting health in trade agreements and ensuring availability of health foods in stores.
The government will be expected to report that they have a fully funded plan to support the reduction of diet-related illnesses, as well as report on any reductions made to marketing campaigns for unhealthy foods and reducing saturated fats in foods to the World Health Organization in 2015. These agreements are all part of the WHO’s Non-Communicable Diseases Monitoring Framework.
