Study linking NAFTA to obesity reminder to read fine print

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/ottawa/nafta-fat-study-trade-deals-1.4203803


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A study linking an increase in the supply of a common sweetener in Canada to the North American Free Trade Agreement is a reminder that even a small tweak to cross-border trade policy can have a big impact on public health, according to an Ottawa health expert.

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University of Oxford researchers scouring the accord discovered a series of tariff reductions on high-fructose corn syrup used in soft drinks and other foods, such as jams or yogurt.

As the tariffs on the U.S.sweetener disappeared over a four-year phase-in period ending in 1998, the researchers noted Canadians' exposure to high-fructose corn syrup jumped from 21.2 calories to 62.9 calories per person per day. Countries that didn't have a similar agreement with the U.S. didn't see the same jump.

'You can't lay all of what's happened in terms of obesity on a single sweetener product.'- Ronald Labonté, University of Ottawa

The researchers' findings were published last week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

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