The World Health Organization, product of the dysfunction United Nations, announced last week that its members will discuss ways to reduce the amount of junk food marketing aimed at children around the world. The discussion is scheduled to take place during the U.N. General Assembly meeting this coming September.
That is a discussion I think I would pay to see. The WHO, an agency of the world body that lacks the ability to police its own members on any number of life-threatening topics, is going to take on the food manufacturing industry?
Yes it is, says Bjorn-Inge Larsen of the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Not only that, he expects the discussion to lead to, according to an AP article that appeared on Yahoo! News, “voluntary measures limiting junk food advertising” that would one day lead to laws banning such ads “in the same way that has occurred with tobacco.”
I understand that childhood obesity is a serious problem in the Western world, especially in countries like the U.S. According to the Yahoo! News article, 43 million preschool children are overweight or obese.
But I imagine that number pales in comparison with the number of preschool children in developing countries who are starving. And many of them are starving for reasons that can be corrected, if governments are willing to work together. Of course, getting the cooperation of governments has seldom been a hallmark of the U.N.
The WHO’s concern over childhood obesity is commendable, and I would happily salute the organization if it really is able to make a major contribution in the fight against childhood obesity.
But I think there are much more serious health issues in the world where this agency should be directing its efforts. When everyone has enough to eat, then let the WHO worry about children eating too much.
As far as convincing food manufacturers to limit or do away with junk food ads, I think the rock group The Who would have more influence than the U.N.’s health body.