The politics of obesity demand that we revisit campaign contribution laws and advocate for a government agency—independent of industry—with clear responsibility for matters pertaining to food, nutrition, and health.—Marion Nestle, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, in "The Ironic Politics of Obesity," Science, vol. 299, no. 781, February 7, 2003

The Global Politics of Obesity

At the international level, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed an aggressive plan to combat an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity—"globesity"—throughout the world. The WHO guidelines on diet and exercise, The Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Disease, released in 2003, advocate such actions as lowering intakes of sugar, salt, and saturated fats. They also recommend sharply limiting the...