The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
published a guide to healthy eating for Chinese children and their
parents in its latest attempt to halt growing obesity levels among
the country's youth.
"The snack consumption guide for the Chinese youth", the first
of its kind in China, has been designed by renowned dieticians
based on the principles of snack consumption by children in the
United States and Hong Kong region, said Yu Dongmei, researcher
with the food safety and nutrition institute under the CDC.
"Snacks are a natural part of a reasonable diet," according to
the guidelines, but warns that children should not have food or
drinks containing excessive fat, sugar and salt such as instant
noodles, candies and tinned food, which increases risks of obesity
and hypertension.
Children are advised to "moderately" eat chocolate, cake, ham
and dried beef, which are "relatively rich in nutritional
content".
Many parents said they would take the guide as a reference when
buying snacks for children. A woman surnamed Liu in southeast city
of Nanjing said that she would like to see "rating marks" on snack
packaging.
However, Nanjing Quality Inspection Bureau said it's unlikely to
make food companies print "rating marks" on packages in the near
future as the guide was only a "tentative probe" that could not be
taken as an official regulation.
(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2007)