Meanwhile, advertisers have released their own study arguing that self-regulation, as opposed to government-imposed restraints, are sufficient to combat dubious food and health claims in advertising.

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The government has said that if approved, compulsory cookery lessons should instil "an understanding of good food" in children and help combat the obesity crisis.

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Current initiatives work to improve health and food security in Africa, to combat child labor in Haiti, to partner on a trilateral basis with Bolivia on counternarcotics cooperation, and to promote biofuels in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

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He also announced plans to create one million jobs to combat unemployment, now at 18%, as well as distribute emergency food supplies to the needy.

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To combat inflation, Andy believes that Beijing will keep raising interest rates until food prices cool off, and believes that three more 25 basis-point hikes are likely, including one this year.

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To combat the threat to public health from a lack of these nutrients, governments encourage food makers to add them to some products.

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Dr Glenn Gibson, a food researcher at the University of Reading, is developing strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum which combat harmful gut bacteria.

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"It's ironic that the U.S. is the country that invented fast food, Coca-Cola and Twinkies and is now telling the rest of the world how to combat obesity, " Bruce Silverglade , legal director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told USA Today.

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