Thank you.
Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Thank you for inviting the Coalition québécoise sur la problématique du poids, the Weight Coalition, to be part of today’s meeting.
I am accompanied by my colleague Clara Couturier, the research analyst in public policy at the Weight Coalition.
The Weight Coalition brings together more than 400 partners, organizations, health professionals, and Quebecers to demand government action in order to reduce and prevent obesity.
The latest data in the Canadian Community Health Survey are extremely troubling. Almost two out of every three adults and one of three children are either obese or overweight. Obesity increases the risks associated with 13 types of cancer; I repeat, not one type, but 13. It is also a major factor in a number of chronic illnesses, like Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Today, it is really distressing to observe how common it is to see children suffering from high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes.
Since the 1980s, obesity has been constantly on the rise. It is an epidemic that is really out of control and that has a major effect on our economy and on society as a whole. In 2012, it was estimated that obesity and excess weight cost $19 billion in health care, in disability, and in premature mortality in Canada. Given the progression of the problem of excess weight in the country, there is even reason to believe that the financial burden is greater still at the moment.
Up to now, this public health problem has not been taken seriously enough. It is really urgent, really necessary, for all government departments at all levels to invest in prevention and to take action to tackle the various factors that contribute to obesity. One of those factors, and it is undeniable, is the overconsumption of sugary drinks. These non-nutritional products also represents the principal source of added sugar in the diet of Canadians. Sugary drinks are clearly recognized by many scientific researchers and many health experts as a major contributing factor to obesity, to Type 2 diabetes, to cardiovascular disease, and to tooth decay and erosion. These are all major public health problems in the country.
Sugary drinks stand out from other products because the speed with which the sugar enters the system is really harmful to health. They are not essential and they occupy too great a place in the diet of Canadians, especially the young. In Canada, an average teenager drinks half a litre of sugary drinks per day, the equivalent of 10 to 13 teaspoons of sugar, in addition to the sugar in their daily diet.
It is important to point out that the term sugary drinks does not mean carbonated drinks only. It includes the so-called energy drinks, sport drinks, vitamin waters, iced tea, punches, cocktails, lemonade and flavoured coffee. The range is far from limited.
Drink consumption has moved from carbonated drinks to these other products, which, because of the marketing strategies used, are often made to appear more healthy to consumers. However, in fact, they are still simply water with sugar added.
Sugary drinks are available everywhere, in groceries, convenience stores, pharmacies, big box stores, entertainment centres, or restaurants. They are constantly sold at cut prices and they are among the least expensive products on the market. They are promoted on many different platforms. When we are thirsty, it is often easier to find a sugary drink than a water fountain.
In addition to their impact on health, their ecological footprint is devastating in terms of water consumption, transportation, and garbage.
For a number of years, the Weight Coalition has been recommending a special tax on these products and the reinvestment of that money into prevention, especially for healthy nutrition. Moreover, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has recognized this tax measure as having the most potential in cost and effectiveness. The World Health Organization is also recommending that all countries enact a measure of this kind. Currently, a number of international experiments, such as in France, Mexico and Berkeley, California, are demonstrating the effectiveness of a tax on the consumption of sugary drinks. As with tobacco, this strategy that must be used in conjunction with other measures in order to improve the health of Canadians.
The desire to stimulate the Canadian economy, in which the bio-food industry is playing a role, must not come at the expense of ignoring the fact that food is not a product like any other.
Because of the economic burden attributed to obesity and to the chronic diseases that it causes, the external costs of the industry's commercial activities must be considered and recognized. The federal government is therefore responsible for overseeing the bio-food sector more closely and for making sure that the food system is used, first and foremost, so that Canadians have access to healthy and high-quality nutrition.
Thank you.