Malcolm Clark, spokesman for the CFC, said: “This strategy was meant to be published a year ago, we’ve had a year of delays and now it has been watered-down to a plan that doesn’t even include marketing restrictions”. It contains a few nice ideas, but so much is missing. Where are the mandatory points?
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“Much stronger and more decisive government action is needed to lower fat, sugar and salt content in foods and to ensure responsible promotions“. “With this disappointing and, frankly, underwhelming strategy, the health of our future generations remains at stake”, Oliver continued. “We will, as an industry, continue to work in partnership with FSS and Scottish Government to deliver effective actions to tackle obesity”.
Public Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said the obesity-busting strategy would also include asking primary schools to help every pupil get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.
A voluntary “healthy schools rating scheme” will be introduced, which will be taken into account during school inspections.
Michaela ONeill, President of the BSDHT, added: “As dental professionals we see first-hand the devastating effect that too much sugar has on our children’s oral health”.
A former health minister has warned the Government’s controversial childhood obesity strategy is unlikely to succeed amid anger among campaigners that promised measures to curb unhealthy sugar consumption had been “watered down”.
What is included in the strategy?
Professor Parveen Kumar, chairwoman of the British Medical Association’s board of science, said the government had “rowed back on its promises by announcing what looks like a weak plan rather than the robust strategy it promised”.
The Government’s plan says obesity is “a complex problem with many drivers”, including our behaviour, environment, genetics and culture.
Plans to ban junk food and candies from supermarket checkouts have also been ditched, but the government is pressing ahead with a proposed “sugar tax” on soft drinks, for which it today issued a consultation.
The government says it will “build on the success” of the current food labelling scheme, which could include clearer visual labelling, such as teaspoons of sugar.
Progress would be reviewed every six months by the government’s health agency, Public Health England.
She welcomed measures on cutting sugar in foods and keeping the tax on sugary drinks, but said it would be some time before these took effect.
Caroline Moye, head of the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “One in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, putting them at risk of developing serious health conditions in later life”. Team GB has been a huge inspiration at the Rio Olympics. In early 2017, the Government will launch a campaign to raise awareness of these guidelines among practitioners and parents and will update the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework to make specific reference to the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for physical activity in the early years.
A spokeswoman for Westminster’s Department of Health said: “The childhood obesity crisis has been decades in the making and it will take years to sort it”.
“Britain has sleepwalked into a public-health crisis”.
It is estimated that NHS in England spent £5.1 billion on overweight and obesity-related ill-health in 2014/15.
“Along with banning firms using child friendly cartoon characters in advertising and a ban on multi-buy promotions in supermarkets it would have given people in the United Kingdom the best possible chance of a healthy life and reduce the amount of sugar we consume”.
“We believe that these measures, which would help to promote greater individual responsibility, could help to significantly reduce childhood obesity”, she said.
The plan also urges an hour a day of PE in schools, partly funded by the drinks levy.
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“I don’t believe that voluntary agreements with the food industry will work when what we really need is regulation of advertising, food content and an environment that challenges obesity by encouraging more healthy lifestyles”.
