The National Consumer League (NCL) is pleading with Jamaicans to take healthier decisions when shopping for food, in light of the increasing prevalence of obesity in adults and children.

NCL President Steve Malcolm, speaking ahead of tomorrow's celebration of World Consumer Rights Day, said it was just recently that his organisation's members noted that consumers throughout the society "looked rotund (fat)" and that an increasing number were clearly obese.

"They are overweight and many of our very young children appear plump physically," Malcolm said, noting that the theme for World Consumer Rights Day will be 'The Junk Food Generation: The Consumers International (CI) campaign to stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children'.

"We, the NCL, are in support of the world consumer grouping and kudos to the organisation for choosing such a very timely topic," Malcolm said.

According to the website www.consumersinternational.org, "Unhealthy diets are a major cause of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, which are on the rise especially in low- and middle-income countries."

CI said such preventable diseases come at a massive cost to human life, people's livelihoods and the health service.

"About 22 million children around the world, under the age of five, are already overweight or obese and we must act to prevent the spread of the childhood obesity epidemic," CI said.

CI added that it was asking the World Health Organisation to introduce an international code on the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

Malcolm said that Jamaican consumers are a very discriminating set of people and that it would be instructive to note that there was a current national focus on fitness and wellness.

The Eight Consumer Rights

Right to Basic Needs

The right to basic goods and services which guarantee survival: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education and sanitation.

right to safety

This means the right to be protected against products, production process and services which are hazardous to health or life.

right to be informed

This means the right to be given the facts needed to make an informed choice or decision. The right to be informed now goes beyond avoiding deception and the protection against misleading advertising, labelling or other practices.

right to choose

This means the right to have access to a variety of products and services at competitive prices and, in the case of monopolies, to have an assurance of satisfactory quality and service at a fair price. The right to choose has been reformulated to read: The right to the basic goods and services.

right to be heard

This means the right to be represented so that consumers' interests receive full sympathetic consideration in the information and execution of economic policy. The right is being broadened to include the right to be heard and represented in the development of products and services before they are produced or set up; it also implies a representation, not only in governmental policies, but also in those of other economic powers.

The right to redress

This means the right to a fair settlement of just claims. This right has been generally accepted since the early 1970s.

right to consumer education

This means the right to acquire the knowledge and skills to be an informed consumer throughout life. The right to consumer education incorporates the right to the knowledge and skills needed to taking action to influence factors which affect consumer decisions.

right to a healthy environment

This means the right to a physical environment that will enhance the quality of life. The right involves protection against environment problems over which the individual consumer has no control. It acknowledges the need to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations.