Apparently, the US authorities are also seriously alarmed by the situation. In June, the first state agency to combat obesity (Office of Nutrition and Fitness) will open in New Jersey.
It is no coincidence that the first such organization will operate in New Jersey. The state, located in the northeast of the country (south of New York), has the highest percentage of children under five (18%) who are overweight in the United States. In addition, according to statistics, in New Jersey, young black and Hispanic people are more likely to be obese than white Americans compared to other regions of America.
As the head of the New Jersey Department of Health, Fred Jacobs, told reporters, the new agency will begin its work with local educational institutions, whose administrations will be recommended to radically change the menus in school and university canteens. This involves a possible ban on certain dishes, such as pizza and hamburgers, as well as a significant reduction in portion sizes. In addition, starting from the new school year, parents will be sent a notification that their child is overweight, and advice on losing extra pounds will be offered.
Obesity has been the second preventable cause of death in the United States for many years, after smoking. According to doctors, being overweight significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, the most common type 2 diabetes, asthma, depression, rheumatoid arthritis, and several types of cancer.
As Fred Jacobs stated, the duties of the "obesity police" will also include conducting raids on grocery stores and supermarkets. According to him, the new agency will ensure that store shelves always have a wide assortment of fresh vegetables and fruits, and owners who do not want to follow the authorities' instructions will be punished with fines.
In addition, the organization opening in June will conduct various events and campaigns to promote physical activity at any age, free supply of "healthy products" to low-income citizens of the state, and encouragement of young mothers to breastfeed, as this reduces the child's chances of being overweight in adulthood. However, Jacobs did not clarify how breastfeeding will be encouraged.
Apparently, if the "obesity police" in New Jersey is successful, similar services will be opened in the other 49 states of the country. However, some skeptics doubt that Americans, despite numerous calls from authorities to eat healthy food and walk more, will so easily stop eating at McDonald's and leave their cars in the garage.