Thu, Apr-20-17, 00:36
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Senior Member
Posts: 1,469
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Plan: Banting
Stats: 302/187/187
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: New Zealand
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Pro-fat school food advisor ready for a scrap
Quote:
As the Ministry of Education’s newly-minted Chief Education Health and Nutrition Advisor, the promoter of a low-carb, high-fat diet expects to feel some push-back when he starts telling the Government his ideas for improving nutrition in schools. He says, “Bring it on.”
While there’s much that everyone involved agrees on – kids and adults should eat less sugar, more fruit and vegetables, more whole foods and less processed rubbish – they disagree on the merits of full fat dairy and meat versus diets high in wholegrain cereals and legumes.
Already, dietitians are asking questions about his appointment and whether it will lead to public confusion when it comes to fighting childhood obesity.
Official health ministry advice to school kids is to fill up on wholegrain carbs, drink low-fat milk and ration the likes of butter and meat fat, guidance Schofield whole-heartedly rejects but which influential public health researchers say remains the best option based on the overall weight of evidence.
The terms of Schofield’s employment mean he won’t have to conform with the official line: AUT will continue to employ him, but will loan him to the Ministry of Education, half-time, in return for the Government paying half his salary. The independence is crucial, he says. “As soon as you become an actual public servant your job is to enact Government policy and that impedes your ability to have free and frank discussions, and it’s important for my role that I still do that,” he says. “I’ll be challenging convention. The tradition of science is that hypotheses and convention are challenged and revised and to me that’s been the massive problem with public health, especially public health nutrition. You put your head up and expect that generally it will be shot off, and I think we’ve lacked progress because of that.”
As he sees it, obesity statistics show that the current advice isn’t working. Yet his butter-happy diet is still rejected by the likes of the Heart Foundation. Is he expecting push-back? “I’m totally expecting it, and bring it on,” he says. “For us to think we know all the answers already and it’s just matter of implementing them is utterly naïve, so if we are going to make progress in public health there is going to have to be robust, controversial and public scientific debate and I’ll be welcoming that, pushing and challenging these guys and I hope they challenge me.”
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Meanwhile, someone's upset already:
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Dear Ministry of Education,
Dr Schofield's research interests include areas of nutrition controversy, and he makes public statements that are in conflict with the current Ministry of Health recommendations on Diet and Nutrition. I am concerned this is going to result in greater confusion for the public and poorer health outcomes due to a lack of coordinated effort on childhood obesity
1) Please can you provide me with the document outlining the scope and remit of the Chief Education Health and Nutrition Advisor?
2) Please can you provide the documentation outlining the process followed in the appointment of Dr Schofield to this role.
3) Please can you advise which organisation with interest in either child health or nutrition were consulted by the Ministry of Education as part of the process of making the appointment to this position?
4) What processes are being initiated by the Ministry of Education to ensure that any work done on childhood health and nutrition is done to create a synergy between the work of the Ministry of Health and this new role in Ministry of Education?
Yours faithfully,
Helen Gibbs
New Zealand Registered Dietitian
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Amazing that I didn't get fat until I hit menopause.
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