A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 77, dated 30 Jul 2004
A ban on vending machines selling soft drinks and sweets has been approved by the French parliament following the rise in concern over obesity in children.
The legislation stopped short of banning advertisments for fast food, but manufacturers will be hit by extra tax equivalent to 5 percent of their annual advertising budget if they do not include health warnings in their adverts.
The measure will come into force from September next year, and will result in the removal of something like 8,000 vending machines. Many schools have opposed the move, saying the machines provide much-needed income.
Recent figures have suggested that obesity affects around 15 percent of French children which - whilst some way short of the current figure for Americans - has alarmed a society which has prized its cultural approach to good food.