Article

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revised the draft for its "Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity", according to a ReutersHealth article:

WHO's 192 member states, who ordered the strategy drawn up two years ago, are due to endorse a final document at their annual assembly in May.

Poor diets and physical inactivity are among the major causes of noncommunicable diseases - cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and obesity-related conditions - which WHO says now account for 60 percent of 56.5 million preventable deaths a year. The toll is set to rise to 73 percent by 2020. . . .

At least 30 minutes of regular, moderate physical activity "on most days" is also recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, colon and breast cancers.
However,
"The WHO caved into the United States and the junk food industry by deleting support for policies that promote the production and marketing of fruit, vegetables and legumes," the U.S.-based group Commercial Alert said in a statement.

"The advertising and junk food industries should be happy because it doesn't encourage countries to ban junk food advertising to children," the non-profit group added.

Critics say Washington bowed to pressure from its powerful food industry to water down the plan. . . .

They said a draft of WHO's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity was weakened by changes including deletion of a passage urging states to offer incentives for producing, marketing and transporting fruit, vegetables and other healthy produce.

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