New Zealand's opposition Labour party wants the food industry to reduce how much sugar goes into processed food in a bid to reduce childhood obesity.
New Zealand has the third-highest adult obesity rate in the OECD and Labour's health spokeswoman Annette King has unveiled details about how her party will tackle the problem if it forms a government in the future.
In her speech to the annual conference in Palmerston North on Saturday, Ms King said a Labour government will provide a clear timeframe for industry to reduce the amount of sugar in processed food.
It will be a voluntary obligation at first and Labour will work with industry before it becomes a requirement.
"If industry decides not to reduce the sugar content in our food, then we retain the right to help them reduce it," she told reporters.
Ms King says this approach is easier than trying to bring in a sugar tax.
She envisaged the policy would apply to foods like peanut butter, yoghurt and tomato sauce that didn't have sugar added to them in the past.
The party will also put in place a childhood obesity reduction target based on Ministry of Health advice, as well as an easier-to-understand food labelling system.
"I agree with Jamie Oliver that members of the public would be more conscious about what they were eating if they knew the number of teaspoons of sugar or salt that is in their food," she said.
Labour will continue to develop its obesity framework, which will also include policy around things like advertising unhealthy food to children and school food requirements.
The government last month announced its own package to tackle childhood obesity, which Ms King labelled as "feeble".
