The Husi expired meat scandal has kept away many diners from fast food outlets, dealing a deadly blow to fast food chains. But irrespective of food safety scandals, children should keep away from fast food, not least because child obesity is a growing problem in China.

Unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are to blame for the increasingly serious child obesity problem. Children should be encouraged to eat more fresh vegetables and fruits rather than fast food.

It's heartening to see parents send their children to summer camps so that they can lose some weight. And it's good to see that education authorities are attaching importance to physical education. But we still have a long way to go before we can be proud of our children's healthy population.

XIAO HUANGREN, via e-mail

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