 London:Large brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Cadbury’s have been provided with an unrivaled platform to promote unhealthy and junk food to children at the London Olympics, according to a report titled The Obesity Games.
The firms are funding sports equipment and exercise schemes in return for being allowed to promote calorie-dense foods, according to the study.
According to its authors, the Children’s Food Campaign, the junk food companies have been given a global platform by London 2012 despite contributing only around 2 per cent of the International Olympic Association’s income.
The authors added that the policy ill-served taxpayers who are funding the majority of the 1.4 billion pounds budget and the entire bill for increased costs of obesity on the health service.
“The Olympics have become a celebration of big. For the junk food companies who sponsor the Games that means big restaurants, big audiences, and big brand value, big profits. But for children that could also mean bigger waistlines and bigger health problems later in life,” The Independent quoted Malcolm Clark, campaign co-coordinator, as saying.
“Yet the one thing about the Olympics which is not big is the proportion of revenue from sponsorship. The International Olympic Committee could choose to cut out the top-tier category of food and soft drink partners entirely, and lose little more than 2 per cent its total income,” he added.
The campaigners have called for a ban on junk food brands from sponsoring future sporting events.
ANI
First Published: Thursday, July 26, 2012, 15:17
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