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GOVERNMENT1


AIM

Use legislation, pricing, and other policies at all levels of government to promote healthy patterns of diet and physical activity


RECOMMENDATIONS

Examine, audit, and revise legislation and regulations so that they protect public health and prevent disease, including cancer2

Ensure that built and external environments are designed and maintained in ways that facilitate physical activity and other healthy behaviour2

Encourage safe, nutrient-dense, and relatively unprocessed foods and drinks and discourage sugary and alcoholic drinks, 'fast food', and other processed foods23

Require schools to provide meals to high nutritional standards and facilities for recreation and sport, and to include nutrition and physical activity in core curricula2

Require all government and publicly funded facilities that provide catering to ensure that their meals, foods, and drinks are of high nutritional quality2

Require widespread dedicated walking and cycling facilities throughout built and external environments

Restrict advertising and marketing of 'fast food' and other processed foods3 and sugary drinks to children, on television, in other media, and in supermarkets2

Incorporate UN recommendations on breastfeeding into law or appropriate public health and consumer protection rules2 Give greater priority to research on, and programmes to improve, public health including the prevention of cancer and other diseases2

Establish and maintain publicly funded information and education on, and surveillance of, food, nutrition, and physical activity status

Ensure that international food trade and aid sustains future health as well as providing immediate relief for populations in recipient countries


  1. Policy-makers and decision-takers in national and also sub-national (state, provincial, municipal, local) government and its agencies. Relevant government departments include office of the head of state or prime minister, finance, trade, employment, social security, justice, home affairs, and foreign affairs as well as food, agriculture, and health. Also includes publicly funded agencies and institutions whose work affects public health. National government international trade and aid agencies are also included here. (Also see Media, Schools, Workplaces and institutions)
  2. By means of legislation, pricing, or other regulation unless there is good independent evidence that existing voluntary codes have been proved to be effective.
  3. 'Processed foods' here means those relatively high in sugars, refined starches, fat, or salt.


For more details see CHAPTER 8 of the Policy Report



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