Just how bad are our favourite fast food options?

LEADING health groups are lobbying the Federal Government to consider a tax on junk food and sugary drinks.

The Consumers Health Forum, the Heart Foundation, the Obesity Policy Coalition and the Public Health Association of Australia are calling on the government to take decisive action to end the widespread marketing of junk food and drink.

The groups surveyed 1016 people and found 50 per cent supported the government putting a tax on junk food and sugary drinks, similar to the taxes on alcohol and tobacco.

The research also showed 79 per cent of people believed if children’s intake of junk food was not lowered they would live shorter lives than their parents and 77 per cent supported making it compulsory for all packaged foods to have a health star rating.

Eighty five per cent of people polled said unhealthy eating habits were now a major problem for Australian children.

It is the first time four major health groups have joined together to demand action from the government, action which they say is now critically needed.

The groups called on the Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley to work with assistant Health Minister Fiona Nash to develop a comprehensive national obesity prevention strategy.

The strategy should “move as quickly as possible” to make the new health food stars rating system compulsory, oppose the marketing of junk food to children on social media and outlaw advertising of these products during TV programs popular with children and explore a junk food tax.

“The evidence is damning,” a report from the four organisations said.

“Despite at least six reports from task forces, obesity summits and research papers in the past 20 years advocating firm measures to stop marketing junk food to children, the advertising of fat, sugar and salt-drenched products continues largely unrestricted.

“Governments and industry have tended to offset the pressure for action on unhealthy food by focusing on measures to lift low levels of physical activity. Exercise is vital but by itself will not solve our obesity problem,” the report continued.

The president of the Public Health Association of Australia, Professor Heather Yeatman said “government action is critical from both a health and financial perspective”.

“Unless immediate action is taken to address dietary related illness there will be a significant increase in cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes,” she said.

Heart Foundation National CEO Mary Barry said introducing a tax would help protect Australian children and help stem the cost of obesity in this country which is estimated at $56 billion a year.

“The obesity crisis is threatening a whole generation of children,” Ms Barry said.

The groups acknowledged the work of Ms Nash to roll out the health food stars but said it is time for the government to “step up the concerted action needed to safeguard the health of our children for the future”.