The Tonga kingdom is using chicken to control obesity.

The Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands of which 36 are inhabited.The Livestock Division of Tonga’s Ministry of Agriculture, in conduction with independent agency Tonga Health, is giving the young birds away, and also offering subsidized feed across the country’s islands. The people of Tonga have increasingly favored imported fatty meat, particularly turkey tails and mutton flaps. Both are cheap, and have the cachet of being imported, but both contain high levels of fat. The country is not alone in its tastes or health predicament, with some neighboring countries having banned the import of both products in an attempt to halt in the increase in associated health problems. In 1973, 7 percent of the population were suffering from non-communicable disease – a synonym for diabetes in Tonga. By 2004, this figure had risen to 18 percent and, according to the Tongan Ministry of Health, is now 34 percent, although some think the figure could be higher. The government decided to supply the citizens with chicks and encouraging the consumption of lean meat as an healthy option and a cheaper alternative as the cost of medical intervention the country is facing is rising. Projects are already underway to change the lifestyle of Tongans to a more healthy one with encouragement of exercise,increase consumption of fruits and vegetables with a change in the type of meat to chicken and ducks. The Tonga kingdom is using chicken to control obesity;read