South Korea will restrict advertising for junk food, sweets and fizzy drinks to curb what one official termed an obesity epidemic among teenagers.
Under a package of measures announced by the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), Green Food Zones will be declared in schools and their neighborhoods where the sale of junk food and drinks will be banned.
"We need to take action to curb the country's obesity epidemic among children" said Lee Chang-Joon, chief of the KFDA's food safety bureau.
He said around 15 percent of Koreans under 19 were obese in 2005, a 60 percent increase since 1998.
"The increased rate is even greater than that of the US, where the teenage obesity ratio doubled in 20 years," Lee said.
Under a law to be enacted this year, advertising of fast food and fizzy drinks which are offered for sale along with free gifts will be outlawed from television and the Internet.
From 2010 the advertising of food high in fat, sugar and salt will be banned from TV broadcasts before 9:00 pm.
More than one-third of ads aired during children's TV programs are for food and most try to sell confectionary, instant noodles and soft drinks, the KFDA said.
The government will set up a ratings system and determine permissible standards for fat and sugar this year.
Large fast-food and chain restaurants will be obliged to list ingredients and additives on food packaging beginning in 2010.
The US has taken some smaller steps in recent years to cut child consumption of foods high in fat and sugar, such as preventing sales of soda in schools.(AFP)
南韓將限制垃圾食物、糖果和氣泡飲料的廣告播放，以遏止一名官員所說的青少年肥胖的流行病。
根據韓國食品藥物管理局(KFDA)所公佈的一系列措施，學校和鄰近地區將宣布成立綠色食品區，區內禁止販售垃圾食物和飲料。
1. ban v.t.
禁令 (jin4 ling4)
例: The government banned drivers from talking on cell phones in cars.
(政府禁止駕駛在車內以手機交談。)
2. enact v.t.
頒布 (ban1 bu4)
例: Our company will enact the new policies next month.
(我們公司下個月將頒布新政策。)
3. confectionary n.
糖果 (tang2 guo3)
例: His dad does the ads for that confectionary company's candy bars.
(他的父親為糖果公司的糖果棒作廣告。)
4. oblige v.i. /v.t.
不得不 (bu4 de2 bu4)
例: You let me stay at your place, so I feel obliged to give you at least a small gift.
(你同意我住在你家，所以我覺得至少得送你一個小禮物。)
韓國食品藥物管理局食品安全局局長李昌俊（譯音）表示︰「我們需要採取行動，遏止國內孩童肥胖的趨勢。」
他表示二○○五年韓國十九歲以下青少年有15%的肥胖人口，自一九九八年來增加了60%。
李昌俊指出︰「我國增加的比例甚至比美國更高，二十年來，美國青少年肥胖的比例增加了兩倍」。
根據今年將頒布的法令，販售時附贈免費禮物的速食和氣泡飲料的廣告，將不得在電視和網路上播放。
自二○一○年起，高脂肪、高糖和高鹽
食品的廣告，晚間九點以前將不得在電視播放。
韓國食品藥物管理局表示，兒童電視節目有超過三分之一的廣告都是食品廣告，且內容多半企圖銷售糖果、泡麵和軟性飲料。
韓國政府今年將設立分級制度，確立食品中可添加的脂肪和糖類標準。
自二○一○年起，大型速食和連鎖餐廳將必須在食物包裝上列出成分和添加物。
近年來美國已採取部分幅度較小的措施，例如禁止校園內販售蘇打飲料，降低兒童對高脂肪和高糖份食品的攝取。
（法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
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