Countries reject science behind U.N. strategy to combat obesity

ROME -- A group of developing countries rejected the science driving the United Nations' effort to fight obesity worldwide, saying Monday the dietary recommendations are based on flawed research and "not worthy of serious consideration."

The scientific report underpinning the global obesity strategy recommends that governments strive to limit their people's intake of sugar and fat while encouraging increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The developing countries said the report was shoddy and urged better nutrition education, not arbitrary limits of specific types of food. Their argument mirrors what sugar and other food industry representatives contend.

The report "labels various food items as good and bad. It concludes, without any scientific evidence, that bad food is the main cause of chronic diseases. This arbitrary conclusion, apart from its shaky scientific foundation, is indeed prejudicial," a Colombian delegation told the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, speaking on behalf of the G77 group of developing nations and China.

The U.N. food agency was reviewing the report on Monday.

The agency, together with the World Health Organization, is building an unprecedented strategy aimed at reducing obesity-linked diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The scientific report behind the strategy is considered the most significant statement in more than a decade on what the world should be doing about its diet.

Illness linked to diet

The strategy, to be finalized in May, was launched in response to evidence that illnesses caused by bad diet and lack of exercise are no longer just the preserve of the Western world.

It calls on governments to push manufacturers to cut fat, sugar and salt content and to change advertising and tax policy to promote healthier eating.

The U.S. delegation said Monday "the United States supports limiting intake of ... sugar in the United States. However, numeric goals should be associated with individual intake and supported by a scientific basis."

The objections Monday mark the first time developing countries have publicly attacked the recommendations.

The Colombian delegation said the G77 was open to dietary recommendations provided they are "science-based ... causing no harm to the prevailing food production system, food processing and food trading practices."

"Regretfully, it is the view of the G77 that the ... report fails the test of scientific rigor, objectivity and fairness," the group said. "Any uniform or 'one size fits all' diet is an illusory concept and not worthy of serious consideration."

It urged the Food and Agriculture Organization to seek the opinions of member nations and not to take any further action until responses are in.

A particularly contentious recommendation advises people to keep their sugar intake to less than 10 percent of calories -- sparking concerns of harm to sugar producers and the food industry.

But the Food and Agriculture Organization said sugar producers could come out ahead by selling their product in countries where consumption is still below the 10 percent mark.

It also noted the dietary recommendations could help fruit and vegetable production, particularly in developing countries that can switch from sugar crops. The global plan advises that countries aim to get their people eating at least 14 ounces a day.

Outside the meeting, Don Mitchell, an economist at the World Bank, said the increase in fruit and vegetable production could more than offset any loss in sugar production.

The U.N. food agency said the recommendations were unlikely to provoke an immediate global response.

"The evidence to date indicates that -- apart from the experience of food safety scares -- dietary recommendations made in the past to reduce intake of sugar and fat, for example, have had only a limited impact on consumption," the agency said.

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