– I find that the Minister of Health’s answer is unclear, passive and evasive. That’s what nutritionist Tine Sundfør says after seeing Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) take part in the TV series “Helsekost Furuseth”. There is also Sundfør himself as a supervisor for presenter Else Kåss Furuseth and four other participants who want to lose weight. In the fifth episode of the series, Furuseth challenged the Minister of Health on what she wants to do to improve the challenges Norwegians have with obesity. The answers she gave do not impress Sundfør. Tine Sundfør is a nutritionist and herself participates in Else Kåss Furuseth’s TV series. Photo: Anita Sælø Wondering what Kjerkol thinks More than half of Norway’s population is overweight. The Minister of Health is directly challenged on Norwegians’ eating habits, especially on sugary food and drink – such as snacks. – It is possible to look at the tax system, but it has a few more consequences. It has consequences for the producers, it has consequences for more extensive problems. Cross-border trade will also be a topic, says Kjerkol in the series. Kjerkol also says that there is a lack of knowledge about raising prices. – We are not opposed to looking at the tax system, but we cannot unilaterally focus on it. Because making it so much more expensive to smoke has a completely demonstrable effect. While making sugary food and drink much more expensive, we don’t have the same good evidence that it helps. This causes Sundfør to stumble. – Then I wonder what Kjerkol really means, and whether she has familiarized herself with the research available in the field. I think we can expect the Minister of Health to have that, since obesity and its associated diseases are one of the biggest public health challenges in Norway today. Else challenges the Minister of Health Thinks there is more than enough good documentation – There is considerable professional documentation that shows that price as a means of action. Sugar tax in particular has been shown to contribute to reduced sugar intake and to provide favorable health benefits in the population. The international report “Health Taxes to Save Lives” is well summarized. WHO has also recommended price measures as a cost-effective measure, says Sundfør. She also refers to a new report which calculates that the total social costs of obesity are NOK 68 billion annually. – If we can save some of the billions that obesity costs Norway, we can probably use these to support Norwegian producers to change their operations, so that they can produce healthy Norwegian food. Disappointed with Kjerkol – It is disappointing that Kjerkol almost rejects taxes and refers to border trade and consideration for producers. Taxes are one of the most effective things we can use to push consumption in a healthier direction. That’s what Mina Gerhardsen, head of the National Association for Public Health, says. – The Institute of Public Health has also shown that cuts in the sugar tax did not result in any cuts in Swedish trade. The only “gain” was cheaper candy here at home, and with it increased consumption. – Considerations for producers should not trump considerations for health either. The experience with soft drinks also shows a great ability to come up with good alternatives without sugar, says Gerhardsen. Leader of the National Association for Public Health, Mina Gerhardsen. Photo: André Bendixen / news Happy for debate Health Minister Ingvild Kjerkol replies to the criticism that she knows that taxes and regulations work. At the same time, she believes that overweight and obesity must be met holistically. Kjerkol also says that since the series was recorded in June last year, the public health report has been submitted. – The common thread in the work on the public health report is to reduce social differences, promote good mental health and facilitate healthy lifestyles – including a healthier diet. These are factors that are linked to overweight and obesity. Our goal is for people to live long, good and healthy lives. GET THIN: Health and Care Minister Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap)’s participation in “Helsekost Furuseth” has caused several people to ask critical questions about the minister’s response to the obesity challenges in this country. Photo: Hanna Johre / NTB Must find good means of action Therefore, she will look at several things to improve Norwegians’ health and ensure that the measures are more effective. – One of our measures in the public health report is therefore to initiate an external study on measures to promote a healthy diet. Such instruments can, for example, be financial instruments. – I therefore in no way rule out that a sugar tax could be part of an overall strategy, but I will wait for the investigation work to see the proposals as a whole before we conclude. The committee will also look at possible measures to make healthy food cheaper, which can be just as important as making unhealthy food more expensive, according to Kjerkol. – At the same time, diet is about creating good lifestyle habits. We are therefore targeting several measures at children and young people. Among other things, we will develop tools for more people to receive school meals, look at the age limit for energy drinks and protect children and young people from the marketing of unhealthy food and drink.
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Ingvild Kjerkol receives criticism from Tine Sundfør and Mina Gerhardsen after Helsekost Furuseth – news Trøndelag
