December 12, 2016
Sugar industry facing health attack
Hapai Te Hauora has joined an effort to challenge the sugar industry’s hold on the consumer market.
Spokesperson Ants Hawke says the Maori Public Health organisation was asked to come on board the coalition because of its success reducing sugar and junk food consumption at the annual secondary schools’ Polyfest.
He says rather than the traditional approach of focusing on individual users, the coalition will try to address the way sugary options are the only options many whanau are given.
"Our efforts are quite often on the last domino, the whanau and the community, whereas it needs to be on the first domino, which is changing the environment the sugar industry organisation seems to have a hold in. It's not the fault of the person walking in to buy the drink. It's the fault of society for enabling it to get to this point," Mr Hawke says.