The National Department of Health on Wednesday said it wanted “all retailers to emulate Woolworth's example to remove all sweets and chocolates from checkout queues”. In a statement‚ it endorsed the retailer’s move‚ saying it was in line with the department’s fight against “obesity and towards providing healthier choices for customers”.“One of the goals of the National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of obesity is to create an enabling environment that support availability and accessibility to healthy food choices in various settings‚” the department said.Woolworths made the announcement of the withdrawal of the products from checkout queues last Friday‚ saying “customers can trust that Woolworths has their best interests at heart”.The retailer said it would be “engaging with customers…to find out what alternatives they would like to see in the checkout aisles”.The health department also applauded Woolworths for reducing “the salt content used in making over 100 of its own-brand products‚ which has resulted in a dramatic reduction of 35.2 tons of salt”.“Overweight and obesity is becoming an alarming health hazard in South Africa‚” the department said.“Moves towards reducing sugar and salt content in foodstuffs by food manufacturing industry are encouraged. The Department urges all retailers to emulate Woolworth's example to remove all sweets and chocolates from checkout queues‚ and also appeals to society to engage in physical activity and adopt healthy lifestyle practices.”It concluded by saying a “sedentary lifestyle leads to a person burning less kilojoules than what is consumed”.“More kilojoules are burned through physical activity and routine daily activities. A diet lacking fruits and vegetable‚ which is high in sugar‚ fat and oversized portions contributes to weight gain.” ..