Sydney Health Law

Tag: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)

  • Upcoming Conferences: Governing Food

    Governing Food: The Role of Law, Regulation and Policy in Meeting 21st Century Challenges to the Food Supply Dates: Tuesday 1st November – Thursday 3rd November 2016 Venue: Sydney Law School Sydney Health Law is hosting the Governing Food Conference in November this year, in conjunction with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre and with sponsorship…

  • Could a sugary drinks tax improve Australian diets?

    The UK tax on soft drink and Jamie Oliver’s call to action  Today Britain announced that from 2017 it would levy a tax on soft drinks containing more than five grams of sugar per 100 millilitres, as part of efforts to contain rising levels of childhood obesity. The announcement prompted Jamie Oliver to post a video…

  • WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity presents final report and recommendations

    The World Health Organisation’s Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, appointed by WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan in 2014, has now formally presented its final report. The Commission was co-chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, the Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Dr Sania Nishtar, the founder and President of Heartfile, a…

  • Dancing on Christopher Hitchens’ grave? The tricky business of talking about consequences

    A “pro-smoking blogger for the libertarian right”  accuses me of “dancing on Christopher Hitchens’ grave”. And other stuff. Christopher Snowdon is a Research Fellow for the UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank that receives tobacco funding.  He is an opponent of plain tobacco packaging, keeper of the pure flame of libertarianism etc. My sin…

  • World Health Organisation publishes new report on overweight, obesity, diabetes and the law

    Posted by Jenny Kaldor and Roger Magnusson This is the view when you look out the front gates of the World Health Organisation’s regional headquarters in Manila. A few blocks away, in the processed food aisles of the supermarket, parents are encouraged to purchase “nutrition power for kids”. The Western Pacific Region, which includes Australia,…

  • Does Coca Cola have a role in delivering Pacific aid?

    Posted by Roger Magnusson and Alexandra Jones The Foreign Minister, The Hon. Julie Bishop MP has announced that Australia will partner with companies like Coca-Cola to distribute essential medicines to Pacific Island recipients of Australian aid. The Minister is right about one thing: tobacco and fizzy drink companies have strong distribution networks that reach into…

  • How can pacific island countries reduce the crippling burden of non-communicable diseases?

    Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) are some of the most geographically isolated in the world.  Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, cancers, tobacco-related diseases and diabetes are rampant in PICTs.  These diseases are partly driven by loss of traditional diets, global trade in harmful products, and by a cluster of inter-related risk factors including tobacco use,…