2014 media releases

OPC welcomes relaunch of Health Star Rating website

6 Dec 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition has welcomed the Federal Government's move to re-launch the website that facilitates the Health Star Rating label system on packaged foods.

OPC welcomes Coalition Government's pledge to invest in obesity prevention programs

18 Nov 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition has congratulated the Coalition Government for its pre-election commitment to tackle rising rates of obesity and associated health conditions in Victoria.

OPC applauds Greens for pledge to implement policies to help tackle obesity in Victoria

13 Nov 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition has welcomed The Greens' pledge to put prevention at the forefront of its health platform ahead of the Victorian election.

No team spirit: McDonald's breaks promise again by giving fast food vouchers to children

11 Nov 2014
For the second time in just a few months McDonald's has been found to be in breach of its commitment to refrain from marketing products to children that are not healthy choices after another complaint was upheld by the Advertising Standards Board.

Fat chance of a fair game: new sports drinks proposal will mislead consumers on nutritional information, experts warn

23 Sep 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) is warning that proposed changes to food regulations could allow popular sports drinks with nearly as much sugar as soft drink to carry health claims, which could mislead the public into thinking they were healthier choices than water.

OPC applauds Greens' policy to phase out junk food advertising from junior sport and outdoor areas

5 Sep 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition applauds The Greens on the launch of its new plan to combat harmful advertising to children and urges other political parties to follow suit.

On the menu for next Vic Govt: Better fast food labelling, less junk in kids' sport & beefed up planning laws

18 Jul 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition today called on all Victorian political parties to commit to taking action towards stemming the burden of lifestyle-related chronic disease in Victorian communities with the launch of its 2014 state election policy platform Next Steps: building on the prevention system to address overweight and obesity in Victoria.

Australians 180,000 tonnes overweight & gaining 5,000 tonnes per year

8 Jul 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition called for a national coordinated action plan to address the obesity issue, following the release of a new "state of the nation" report by Roy Morgan Research this morning.

OPC Congratulates Food Ministers for supporting Healthy Star Rating Scheme

27 Jun 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) have congratulated the Ministers at the Food Ministers' Forum[1] meeting today in Sydney for their support of the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and agreeing to re-establish the website that facilitates the HSR on packaged food.

Health Star Rating Call on Food Ministers

26 Jun 2014
The Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Obesity Policy Coalition have called on Ministers at the Food Ministers' Forum tomorrow to support the Health Star Rating system and to re-establish the website that facilitates the new Health Star Rating on packaged food.

New COAG Report: Obesity tops the list of areas of concern for Australia's future health

12 Jun 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) is calling for government action to stem the obesity epidemic following the release of the COAG Reform Council's final report on healthcare reform.

New WHO guidelines should be a call to industry to stop sugarcoating kids' foods

6 Mar 2014
Australia needs to take action in response to new World Health Organization guidelines around sugar consumption, according to a coalition of leading health organisations, the Obesity Policy Coalition.

ACT Govt gets Gold Star for Action on Sugary Drinks in Schools

21 Feb 2014
The Obesity Policy Coalition has applauded the ACT Government for moving to phase out sugary drinks from government schools therefore removing one of the biggest contributors to extra sugar in children's diets.