According to a study published in the US journal Health Affairs, some 16.4% of kids aged 10-17 were obese in 2007, the study claimed - up from 14.8% in 2003 and equating to almost 10.6m obese children. Two of the researchers behind the study claimed US children were "snacking more than ever" on "junk" foods. "Our findings suggest that the obesity epidemic among children may not yet have reached its plateau for some groups of children," the authors claimed. They added that those most likely to be overweight or obese were among the poorest, publicly insured, black and Hispanic children.

The Health Affairs study also called on Congress to bring in new taxes to "discourage [the] consumption of high-calorie foods and beverages" and force restaurants by law to list calories on menus. "More experts no longer see obesity as a matter determined solely by personal responsibility; they believe that there needs to be collective responsibility for taking on the problem along the lines of the movement to fight smoking and tobacco," the researchers said.

The above news is not a unique case! Obesity in general, child obesity in particular keeps being an important agenda for goverment health policies today, even more than before. This issue brings a major threat to the food industry.. I believe  obesity concern  (not in public but more in regulatory powers) should be considered seriously and industry should start to regulate itself befor receiving harsh measures.  By redesigning the formulations, by preparing more sensible and socially correct advertising campaigns and by investing more in innovations for obesity-free products, the industry may take the control of this problem. We are not an industry like tobacco or alcohcolic beverages which is  dangerous by definition, that's why we should not let the control out of our hand.