Qatar is set to pass new laws promoting health, which include regulating fast-food marketing and mandating nutrition labels on food in restaurants and supermarkets.

Health experts have long promoted food labeling as a way to empower consumers to make better choices.

The country, which struggles with obesity and diabetes, has made nutrition and physical activity part of its five-year plan, the Peninsula reports:

We are looking for indicators related to nutritional needs of women, children of all ages based on age group and activity and the community as a whole,” said Dr Sheikha Anoud bint Mohammed Al Thani, Director of Health Promotion and Non Communicable Diseases Department at SCH.

“Countries that have introduced and implemented nutrition strategy has been able to reduce the incidence of cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension in three years,” she said.

A programme of this kind is important for Qatar with the fact that chronic diseases are a major cause of death here, accounting for 47 percent of classified deaths in 2008.

Incidence of diabetes among Qataris is 16.7 percent, the fourth highest rate in the world. At least 71 percent of all residents are overweight and 32 percent obese or morbidly obese.

What do you guys think? Would seeing the calorie counts on all that delicious food available here in Qatar curb your appetite for unhealthy meals?

Photo by Ron Dolette and published under Creative Commons