Cuts to ‘hidden’ sugar in food could halt obesity epidemic
A new campaign group, Action on Sugar, has claimed that the growing obesity epidemic could be halted or reversed in less than five years if the food industry makes cuts to the amount of sugar in food. The group, set up by the team behind Consensus Action on Salt and Health (Cash), hopes to alert the public to the high levels of sugar in their food and lobby the government and the food industry to reduce its use of “unnecessary” sugar. Experts said that if major manufacturers reduced the amount of sugar in their products by around 20 to 30 percent, the obesity epidemic could be halted. Graham McGregor, chairman of the new group, said that, “this is a simple plan which gives a level playing field to the food industry, and must be adopted by the Department of Health to reduce the completely unnecessary and very large amounts of sugar the food and soft drink industry is currently adding to our foods.” A spokesperson from the UK’s Department of Health said that it wanted to sign up more companies to its ‘Responsibility deals’, which have seen 38 food and drink companies volunteer to improve people’s diets. (Independent)
Supply Chain
McDonald’s makes sustainable beef move
McDonald’s, the biggest buyer of beef in the US, has committed to a goal of purchasing verified sustainable beef by 2016. The chain has been working on the initiative since 2011 when it helped develop the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). The GRSB has now drafted guiding principles and best practices for sustainable beef, which McDonald’s aspires to support by starting to purchase verified beef in 2016, and eventually buying all its beef from sustainable sources. The chain has made several efforts to improve its responsible purchasing over recent years; currently it purchases whitefish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and coffee certified by the Rainforest Alliance. A spokesperson from McDonald’s said that the move would be both, “complex and a big challenge.” (Ethical Performance, Business Week)
Policy
China sets air pollution goals
China has set new targets for its provinces to reduce air pollution by 5 to 25 percent, amid the growing concern of air quality in its cities. According to the former health minister, Chen Zhu, air pollution in the country causes the premature deaths of 350,000 to 500,000 people annually. The state council is contemplating a system to evaluate each local government’s progress, with those who fail to reach goals being named and shamed. Authorities have invested in various projects to fight pollution but enforcement of rules has been patchy at local levels, where authorities often rely on taxes paid by polluting industries. The targets come amid further co-operation between the Asian Development Bank and China’s Environmental Protection Ministry, who have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue to join forces in the prevention and management of pollution. (Guardian, CleanBiz.Asia)
Support for EU Commission’s waste prevention plan
The waste consultancy, Eunomia, has unveiled results from the consultation on European Waste Management Targets, which shows that 55 percent of respondents were in favour of new waste prevention targets. The study’s aim was to identify key issues with the existing targets and propose possible solutions. Of the three main stakeholder groups, public authorities were the most supportive of targets for waste prevention, with 84 percent agreeing with the principal. Conversely, only 43 percent of industry groups and representatives were in favour of new targets. The majority of respondents were in favour of improving monitoring and calculating methodology, in order to standardise the consistency and reliability of data. (Edie)
Human Rights
H&M teams up with Civil Rights Defenders
The retailer H&M has teamed up with Swedish not for profit organisation, Civil Rights Defenders, in a three year partnership that will enhance the organisation’s long-term commitment to human rights. H&M will donate 4 million SEK over the next three years to support work for human rights. Civil Rights Defenders is supported by approximately 10,000 individual donors and members together with numerous foundations, trusts and companies. Executive Director of the group, Robert Hardh, said that, “we are delighted that H&M has decided to support us in this way. The donation will allow us to fund our on-going human rights work and ensure assistance is available for vulnerable human rights defenders who operate in some of the world’s most repressive states.” (Civil Rights Defenders)
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