The Health Ministry has launched a campaign against excessive daily sugar consumption, claiming that 43 percent comes from drinks such as Coke. This has sparked outrage in Israel’s lucrative beverage industry, which accuses the ministry of “false representations and misinformation” on obesity. Soft drink manufacturers claim that the above statistic relates to the US and the actual figure is “just” 31 percent.
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is not deterred, however, having already banned sweetened drinks from public schools. And he’s not stopping there.
“McDonald’s is out! [It is] not wanted in our country,” Litzman declared at a cardiologists’ conference. “People shouldn’t eat at McDonald’s. We need to educate our children not to eat junk food and not to eat so much candy. This is right with regard to diabetes and it is right for the heart.”
Litzman has appointed a “Committee for Regulation to Promote Healthy Nutrition” which is considering warning labels and additional taxes on soft drinks and junk food.
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