– You can’t start with a ban, so that people will have a bad conscience, says FRP spokesperson for health policy and former food minister Bård Hoksrud.
Last week, TV 2 wrote about nutritionist Tine Sundfør, who wants rules on how big chocolate bars and candy bags it should be allowed to sell.
WEIGHT GAIN: It is difficult to make the right choices when the temptation is great, says Sundfør… Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsjø / TV 2
The time when it was up to each and every one of us is over, she believes.
– The individual is personally responsible, but an adjustment should be made at societal level. Especially out of consideration for those who are vulnerable and find it easy to gain weight, she said then.
Hoksrud does not share that point of view.
– Becomes a bit Aunt Sofie
Hoksrud believes that it should be up to each individual how much, or how little, of sweets and snacks they buy. He has little faith that such a ban will be of any use.
– The intention is very good, but it becomes a bit Aunt Sofie in an extreme version.
Sundfør says she understands that such a possible ban could seem intrusive.
– What I see as the biggest problem is that now the chocolate bars are not only 200 grams, now they are also 320 grams.
When we buy bigger and bigger goods, we also get bigger, says Sundfør.
Body pressure
Hoksrud believes that bans and regulations on portion sizes of sweets and snacks contribute to creating a bad conscience and body pressure.
CONSCIENCE: A ban will only give people a guilty conscience. says Hoksrud. Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsjø / TV 2
– It’s like you have to have a bad conscience to be a little bigger. We have a lot of body pressure in Norway. You can’t start with bans because you don’t like things, or that people will feel guilty because you eat too much, he says.
Sundfør distances itself from that.
– Me and enjoy myself with chocolate. I’m not looking to build up under a body pressure. If we have smaller portions, people can enjoy the chocolate with a clear conscience.
It’s not just people’s willpower that counts, says Sundfør. It is largely about genes.
— The genes have not changed since the 70s. We haven’t gotten any dumber. Society has changed.
Good and bad choices
Bans and rules are still not the way to go, Hoksrud believes.
– There are wrong signals.
The thought of someone telling him how much he can and cannot buy before that sends a chill down his spine.
– I get really defiant, he says.
OFFERS: Hoksrud is happy to offer good chocolate offers. Photo: Ingvild Gjerdsjø / TV 2
For the nutritionist, the core is that society must make it easier for the consumer to eat healthier. Hoksrud, for his part, believes that it must be up to each individual.
– It must be allowed to make some choices, good and bad. It’s not like the producers do it just because they want to, it’s the consumers who want it.
