I can understand the reasoning behind downsizing food products. Retailers wouldn't drop prices, customers would buy two instead of one. More profits, still leaves fat people.

There are many reasons behind the increase of obesity in the world, the most important is false advertising. It is apparent that there is no control on what one can say about a product even if it is detrimental to health.

When you look at the science, you realise that most obesity comes from the increased consumption of dairies, which can be found in 99% of processed foods in most western orientated societies. That naturally increases the amount of clogging and fattening substances entering the body. The propaganda associated with food, needs to be severely regulated and 99% of processed foods removed from the market and substituted with real food.

If you have every had an allergic reaction to food additives, medications or preservatives, you will note that one of the symptoms is swelling and fluid retention and takes a long time to get rid of. If science really looked at obesity, rather than just produce propaganda for the companies that support them,they would find that most of it is caused by the consumption of these dairies, additives and chemicals.

If you live on a diet that comes straight from the food source, you will find that obesity is no longer a problem, unless you are a pig with your food and don't exercise.

If you remove dairies, chemicals, preservatives and additives from your diet, you relieve yourself of having to put up with the vast majority of ailments and viral infections that afflict humans.

It is interesting to note, that people that suffer bone degeneration, are also high consumers of dairy products, contrary to advertising propaganda that states, dairies strengthen bones.

How about blaming fat people for being fat, rather than government, business, why not the owner of the chubby fingers filling their faces with food?

The government can't solve people's eating habits, other than to tax us so much that we can't afford to eat ourselves into an early grave. How about food rationing to solve the obesity plague? How exactly is the government going to stop people eating? That is what we're talking about here, isn't it? Making people eat less? Does the government have the right to change our behaviour? Where do we draw the line on what the state can and can't do?

The only reason we advocate state intervention in the obesity debate is because the state has an interest in picking up the bill in medical treatment through medicare. Why not remove their involvement altogether? Make people pay for their own medical treatment. Then they'll have an incentive to lose a few kilos.

There are some great lines in the Lazyboy song "Underwear Goes Inside The Pants"

Americans, let's face it: We've been a spoiled country for a long time.
Do you know what the number one health risk in America is?
Obesity. They say we're in the middle of an obesity epidemic.
An epidemic like it is polio. Like we'll be telling our grand kids about it one day.
The Great Obesity Epidemic of 2004.
"How'd you get through it grandpa?"
"Oh, it was horrible Johnny, there was cheesecake and pork chops everywhere."

Keep the government out of it, if people want to eat until they're obese and drop dead from a heart attack, that's their perogitive, it is none of our business.

Yep - smaller portions and not using the car on short trips would do a world of good.
For fatties and for the environment too....oh - and the hip pocket with the price of fuel these days.

I don't know if it's fact or fiction but I tend to find that actively eating less makes your capacity for gorging yourself less as well - in other words, your stomach shrinks.
This is good news for those who have problems with will power (fat people) as you only have to be disciplined for a very short period of time, maybe two weeks, to make a lifetime of difference.

Well pointed out, Barbara.

Good on you Brendan Halfweeg
I'm a teacher and I often wonder what other parents think they should be doing to bring up their kids - it seems they want teachers to do the whole job for them. Many parents I know give their kids white bread because they can't stand making their kids eat brown: they don't want the arguments. (So I'm supposed to do what they can't?)
I also think the curriculum should include more PE - a minimum of 3 times per week, to combat the very real problem that kids can't play around the neighbourhood and parks anymore, it's usually too dangerous these days. Perhaps we need a few more cops too. The new weigh-in idea sounds like a bandaid.