WELLINGTON, New Zealand - The government should impose "traffic light" labeling to warn consumers about obesity-causing food and drink products if New Zealand companies won't do it voluntarily, a parliamentary committee said Friday.
After a 10-month inquiry, a majority of lawmakers on Parliament's health select committee recommended a system of red, yellow and green labels to indicate the levels of fat, salt and sugar in products. The committee also recommended guidelines for food-related advertising.
More than half of New Zealand's 4 million people are either overweight or obese, including more than 30 percent of children, according to Health Ministry figures.
The red label -- to be used for food such as cakes, pies and chocolates -- would warn that the products should only be consumed occasionally. Yellow-labeled foods such as pizza should be eaten "sometimes," while green-labeled products such as low-fat yogurt could be eaten daily.
The committee warned that obesity threatened to overwhelm the health system.
"Tackling the obesity epidemic in New Zealand is imperative," the committee said. "Comprehensive, coordinated action by the government is needed."
The committee also wants targets set for advertising, marketing and promotion of food and drink, saying there needs to be the threat of regulation if voluntary measures don't work.
It recommended a ban on television advertising of "energy dense" food before 8:30 p.m. each night -- when younger people are supposed to stop watching.
The Obesity Action Coalition said simply appealing to the food, drink and advertising industries to help fight obesity would not work.
"The time for asking the industry nicely is over," coalition director Leigh Sturgiss said. "We need a ban on the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks to children."
