WOULD YOU PAY MORE FOR JUNK FOOD ?

YOU WILL... IF ONTARIO DOCTORS HAVE THEIR WAY.

((THEY'VE LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN TO CURB OBESITY.... WHICH CALLS FOR A "FAT TAX" AND GRAPHIC WARNING LABELS ON JUNK FOOD... SIMILAR TO THOSE ON CIGARETTE PACKAGES.

 NEWSWATCH'S MAEGEN KULCHAR HAS LOCAL REACTION

.

As Gary Pain heads into the grocery store to pick up a few items for him

self and his family,

he knows it is important to make healthier choices.

Gary Pain:

"Just looking at our kids these days they are much heavier then they probably should be, they seem to be less active in the electronic age these days"

Electronics coupled with high calorie drinks and fatty foods, has lead to what the Ontario Medical Association is calling 'an obesity epidemic in the province'.

Maegen Kulchar:

"The Ontario Medical Association noted that a recent re-analysis of Canadian data showed that 31.5 percent of children and teens are either obese or overweight. That's up from 14 to 18 percent in the 1980's."

To slim down the province, Ontario's doctors are calling for higher taxes and graphic warning labels on junk food --similar to ones on cigarette packages-- to combat childhood obesity.

Gary Pain:

"As a smoker myself the labels haven't really effected me much on cigarettes"

Faye Johnson:

"The tax I think will effect a lot of people I think but as far as the pictures I don't think it will make any difference"

Tom Pettigrew:

"I think taxing high sugar high fat foods would create people's awareness about it"

Ian Janssen is a researcher at Queen's University and says while the campaign is

a step in the right direction, it comes with a lot of challenges

tIan Janssen/Research on Obesity.:

"Just in terms of what are the foods that should be taxed and what are the food that should not be taxed"

Jenssen says getting people to be more aware of what they eat is similar to getting to them

to stop smoking...and isn't going to happen overnight.

Ian Janssen/Research on Obesity:

"First we put on a small picture, then we increased the size of the picture, then we start hiding the cigarette packages, then we increases taxes on cigarettes and now we make it difficult to get people to smoke outside of their home."

The group of Ontario Doctors also suggest that the province restrict marketing of fatty and sugary foods to children, and

limit the availability of high-sugar, low-nutritional

value foods in recreational facilities.

Maegen Kulcar CKWS Newswatch Kingston.