Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB.
Can J Public Health. 2013 Jan 8;104(2):e167-9. doi: 10.1007/BF03405682.
Despite their wellness mandate, many publicly funded recreational facilities offer primarily unhealthy foods. Governments have developed programs and resources to assist facilities to improve their food offerings, however the challenge to incent preferential sale of healthier foods remains substantial. In the Canadian province of Alberta, uptake of government-issued voluntary nutrition guidelines for recreational facilities has been limited, and offers of free assistance to implement them as part of a research study were not embraced. Financial constraints appear to be the most important barrier to offering healthier items in Alberta's recreational facilities, as facility and food service managers perceive that selling healthier foods is unprofitable and might jeopardize sponsorship agreements. Mandatory government regulation may therefore be required to overcome the barriers to offering healthier foods in this setting. The advantages of a regulatory approach appear to outweigh any disadvantages, with benefits for population health, more effective use of public funds, and greater equity for the public and industry. Adverse effects on corporate profitability and freedom of choice are expected to be limited. Regulation may offer an efficient, effective and equitable means of ensuring that recreational facilities support child health and do not undermine it by exposing children to unhealthy food environments.
尽管许多公共资助的娱乐设施都有健康生活的要求，但它们主要提供的还是不健康食品。政府已经制定了相关计划和资源，以帮助这些设施改善食品供应，但要激励它们优先销售更健康的食品仍然面临很大的挑战。在加拿大艾伯塔省，娱乐设施对政府发布的自愿营养指南的接受程度有限，作为研究的一部分，免费提供实施这些指南的援助也没有被接受。提供更健康食品的最大障碍似乎是财政限制，因为设施和餐饮服务经理认为销售更健康的食品无利可图，可能会危及赞助协议。因此，在这种情况下，可能需要强制性的政府监管来克服提供更健康食品的障碍。监管方法的优势似乎超过了任何劣势，对公众健康、更有效地利用公共资金以及更大程度的公平性都有好处。预计对企业盈利能力和选择自由的不利影响有限。监管可能是一种有效、高效和公平的手段，可以确保娱乐设施支持儿童健康，而不会通过让儿童接触不健康的食物环境来破坏儿童健康。
