<
>

English 27/09-09

Obesity in the UK


Dear ladies and gentlemen. First of all I would like to thank you all for coming here tonight. It will be a pleasure to make a speech to you. I will start this speech with an outline of the situation in the United Kingdom, and then put forward some ideas and argumentations for how to stop this increase of obesity.


It is important to keep an eye on obesity because it is such an intimidating topic. A new report on obesity in the United Kingdom has led the government to call the problem as big as global warming. If action is not taken, more than half of the British people will be obese. If the development continues unimpeded it will lead to obesity on 60 percent of the British men, 50 percent of the women and every fourth British child in 2050, in such a big extent that their health will be threatened. Researchers have also highlighted that obesity-related diseases can shorten the life significantly. The phenomenon can be compared with cigarettes.


Besides the health consequences it may also become an economic disaster for the British. It is estimated that obesity diseases such as type 2 diabetes and blood clots, may be able to cost the community a big annual additional expenditure. We all bear a responsibility toward this issue, so therefore we have to make an end of all the implications and consequences included. In my opinion it is never too late to do something against your overweight. So let us start NOW!


The reason why children’s eating habits are not improving is, in my opinion, that the children do not have a choice. If you take a look on Britain’s best family-orientated attractions you will see, that the children’s menus are filled with unhealthy food and drinks. You can only get things like meat nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, chips, soda etc. There will only be few places where the children menus contain healthy portions of vegetables, drinks and fruit. In the few places where you can get these healthy products, the choice is limited to baked beans and peas, usually not fresh. You can therefore say that children are forced to eat unhealthy products, because they do not have other good options. In some cases the parents do not have time to come home and cook, as a result of long working. Therefore they probably just buy some fast food on their way home, although it has been attacked for being unhealthy. It is here we (“which”) must interfere. Employees of “Which” must work together to stop this unfortunate development. Therefore I ask you all to take action, for the reason of you, your family and last but not least the whole society.


Experts and researchers talks and about banning and restrictions, but I do not think that prohibitions and restrictions would work in this case. It should be no more than a last resort. In “which”, we see some very exciting opportunities in advising the food industry on the development of concepts, which can sell healthier food to children. We already have a lot of experience in how to obtain children and get hold of their attention - e.g. using familiar children characters or development of names and concepts that speaks to the younger population. Many children have learned to eat spinach by Popeye, and who says that the concept of dog farts (“hundeprutter” maked by Bon Bon) could not have been used on healthy food rather than sweets? I think this is a great potential that the food industry must take to heart, in order to take their part of the responsibility and reduce the number of people with intimidating obesity. If various catering companies take this approach in use, it would probably lead to the fact that kids would prefer the healthy food rather than the unhealthy. In this way we will stop the vicious cycle plaguing children and adults alike.


Ladies and gentlemen; this is the most viable idea we have here in “Which”. I hope you all will help making this to a reality. Last but not least I thank all of you who came here tonight to listen to this presentation. It has been a pleasure standing here. Thank you.





| | | | |
Tausche dein Hausarbeiten