The provincial government should start charging sales tax on snack food as part of an effort to reduce childhood obesity, the legislature's health committee says.
According to a report by the MLAs, a quarter of young people in B.C. are overweight or obese.
The report cites a long list of reasons for the problem, including too much time watching TV, a lack of playground space in cities and the larger size of restaurant meals and snacks.
One remedy, the committee said, might be the provincial sales tax.
"Amazingly enough, candies and confections and soft drinks are explicitly exempted from the provincial sales tax, so we're calling on government to amend the legislation accordingly," said Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan, who co-chairs the committee,
The MLAs are also recommending a nutrition council work with the industry to voluntarily reduce the fat, sugar and salt content of foods sold in B.C.
Sultan would also like to see a better system of labelling, which could warn consumers what foods are not recommended.
NDP MLA David Cubberly said the committee also wants the government to subsidize nutritious meals in schools, and to spend money to make communities healthier places.
"This committee is proposing cost sharing for significant annual upgrades to walking, cycling and trail infrastructures," Cubberly said.
The proposals would cost the government millions of dollars, but committee members from both parties say they expect their report to be well received by the government.
Last year, Premier Gordon Campbell launched the Act Now program, with the goal of making B.C. the healthiest venue ever for an Olympics. Earlier this month, the premier announced plans to remove fast-food vending machines from all government buildings by next spring.
