Canada's obesity rate higher since global recession: OECD

Canadian waistlines are expanding, and the global recession is partly to blame, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The latest findings show 25 per cent ofadult Canadians are obese. That's higher than the average rate of obesity among OECD countries (18 per cent). Still, the report notes Canada's rate of increase is one of the slowest in the group of 34 countries.

Children in Canadaregistered the same obesity rate as their adult counterparts also higher than the OECD average.

And globally, there appears to be little effort to trim the fat.

"No OECD country has seen a reversal of trends since the epidemic began," says the report.

"Many families...have been forced to cut their food expenditures, and tighter food budgets have provided incentives for consumers to switch to lower-priced and less healthy foods."

Cost of cutting fat

According to the OECD, prevention programs could avoid up to 25,000 obesity-related deaths every year in Canada.

Such measures would cost about $200 million annually a relatively small figure considering the estimated costof obesity in Canada wasestimated at $4.6 billion in 2008.

Some countries have made aggressive moves to nip obesity in the bud.

In January, Mexico implemented an 8 per cent tax on foods exceeding 275 calories per 100 grams. Similar initiatives were adopted in Denmark, Finland, France and Hungary.

In Hungary's case,a 29 per cent increase in those taxed products led to a 27 per cent drop in sales, putting pressure on food manufacturers to remove some of the less healthy ingredientsfromtheir products.

You can read the report here.