Pointing fingers in obesity causes - Editorial Notebook

News articles about obesity abound and no wonder, with an estimated 5.5 million adult Canadians considered to be obese.

Over the last several years there has been a spate of commentaries about how government policies – here and in other developed countries – encourage food production, thereby making food so readily available that people overeat and get fat.

That was followed by articles espousing another view: that food and beverage companies produce cheap but unhealthy food, promoted with extensive advertising, as the best method of expanding their profits. People see the food, absorb the advertising, and respond by overeating and getting fat.

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Then came the articles that questioned these views.

In the former case, experts said Canada’s food policy does tend to emphasize ample supply, affordability and safety, but nutrition isn’t a primary consideration. With many Canadian farmers barely able to make ends meet at current rates of production, it is unfair to label them foes in the fight against fat. After all, farmers would certainly be willing to accept more money for their products so they could afford to grow less of them, or to produce other non-food commodities that would earn them a profit.

As for the food company argument, experts pointed to corporate responsiveness when they eliminated trans fats. As well, commentators noted food companies’ willingness to market new and supposedly healthier foods and menu choices. Yet the obesity rate continues to grow.

It seems that comparatively few articles deal with the role of personal responsibility in relation to personal poundage. We are eager to affix the blame elsewhere; on the government, multinational food companies, advertising or somewhere else that an individual might feel he has little influence.

Certainly genetics and various health factors play a role in obesity levels for some people. Only last week a news article quoted research indicating that gastrointestinal bacteria has a major effect on weight.

But one doubts these reasons would apply to all 5.5 million obese Canadians.

For most people in the obese category, it is likely a matter of ingesting more calories than they burn, of indulging eating impulses rather than employing self-control, of accepting advertising slogans before applying critical thought and of failing to get enough exercise for good health.

There is doubtless some truth in the government policy theory and in the corporate profit argument, not to mention the effect of cultural emphasis on consumerism.

But when it comes to responsibility, we shouldn’t be using one finger to point out blame while using the other four to hold a fork.