JEDDAH – If the average high school student knew that the French fries that he is waiting in line to purchase contains 500 calories, would he still buy them and devour them wholeheartedly? If the vigilant mother was aware that one regular cheeseburger contains 37 grams of fat, would she still allow her children to eat a fast food meal almost every day? The answers to these questions vary and are far more complicated than what meets the eye. Food labeling and supplying the consumer with accurate nutritional information, such as the number of calories, grams saturated fat, and fiber content in food items will not be an instantaneous solution to change the eating patterns of people in a society nor is it the only way to solve the problem of rising obesity in the Kingdom. However, proponents state that food labeling is a valuable tool to help consumers make the right food choices, which in turn will play a role in fighting obesity in the Kingdom, and protecting the society from obesity related diseases. The Spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani told Saudi Gazette: “A multitude of approaches are needed to tackle the problem of widespread obesity in the Kingdom. Healthy diet and lifestyle awareness campaigns need to be organized more frequently and extensively. The media must play a role in distributing sound nutritional information to the public. “To reduce obesity in the Kingdom, we should seek out the experiences of countries from around the world that adopted the strategy of mandating food labeling. In some countries that require nutrition labeling on food packages, they met with pretty successful results. The Ministry of Health is currently planning to cooperate with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to draw a law and follow through with it that requires all food packaging companies to attach an informative nutritional label on food products.” In some parts of the United States, the ruling on nutrition labeling is not limited to packaged food items in stores, but it also extends to fast food chains and menus in popular restaurants. More studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of such measures in decreasing calorie consumption among the public as a result of the labeling, but so far some studies have been quite promising. Studies have revealed that some consumers were surprised by the information on the calorie labeling and many customers learned that they had been underestimating the calorie content of some of their favorite foods. “We persuaded the Starbucks chains in New York City to provide us with sales information in the city one year before and one year after the required posting of calorie information on their food items. We found that mandatory calorie posting does influence consumer behavior at Starbucks, causing average calories to decrease by 6 percent for each sales transaction of a Starbucks beverage. The effects on food purchases were even more substantial, as average food calories per transaction fell by 14 percent after the nutrition labeling became a law in New York City,” said Alan Sorensen, researcher at Stanford University. Obesity is a growing health concern in the Kingdom, with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the country. According to a recent Forbes magazine, Saudi Arabia ranks 29th on the list of the fattest countries in the world, with 68.3 percent of its citizens being above their ideal weight. The popularity of American fast food in Saudi Arabia, especially among the younger generation, is not the only cause of the rise in obesity but it sure is a prominent factor, coupled with the lack of physical exercise. Dr. Wafaa Benkhadra, Consultant Dietician and Head of the Clinical Nutrition Department in the International Medical Center explained to the Saudi Gazette, “The youth in Saudi society rely too heavily on fast foods and it is negatively impacting their health. Most people are unaware of the extremely high number of calories and the large amount of salt, cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat in a typical fast food meal. In the clinic, we receive a disturbingly large number of children with obesity and even young children with high blood cholesterol levels primarily due to consumption of these fast foods.” “Accurate information will enable people to know how many calories they are consuming when they make an order. I agree that a government imposed law for nutritional labeling on the foods served at fast food restaurants will be helpful in curbing obesity in the Kingdom, but that is not enough,” said Benkhadra. She calls for policy making from a whole different angle. “Policies and procedures in the Ministry of Labor need to be changed, taking into consideration the health of employees. Many of my patients work at private companies that demand that their employees work eight hours straight without allowing a lunch break or even permitting the employee to bring in food from home. “When this employee leaves work in the evening, he is so tired and hungry that he will stop at the nearest food chain to get something to eat quickly, regardless of the calorie content and without taking a moment to think of the nutritional quality of the food. Labor laws need to be changed to compel private companies to allow a one-hour lunch break so that the employee can eat a decent and healthy lunch, because excess hunger at the end of the day causes overeating and consequently weight gain and obesity,” she added. Whether knowing about the number of calories or the amount of protein and fats in a given food will influence people in improving their eating habits or not, people are entitled to know what they are putting into their bodies. And knowledge is power.
