As part of the plan, ministers hope the food industry will cut 20 per cent of sugar from children’s foods by 2020, with a five per cent cut in the first year.
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“We need a holistic approach to tackle childhood obesity, including compulsory measured targets across all nutrients – not just sugar – and mandatory traffic light labelling across all food and drink products, regardless of whether they are consumed inside or outside the home”, said Mike Coupe, chief executive of Sainsbury’s.
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.
“[An] SSB tax is the second recommendation made by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Ending Childhood Obesity Commission and was recommended by the Technical Advisory Group (a group of New Zealand experts in the field of obesity prevention established by the Ministry of Health)”.
PHE had highlighted the need for cut-price promotions of junk food to be banned in supermarkets, and for restricted advertising of junk food to children through television, social media and websites.
Campaigners have branded the plan a “shocking abdication” of the Government’s duties. “I’m in shock”, added the celebrity chef, who was behind a campaign to improve school dinners.
When he launched the plan in October a year ago, Coleman said tackling childhood obesity required a mix of new existing measures. It contains a few nice ideas, but so much is missing. It was set to be one of the most important health initiatives of our time, but look at the words used – “should, might, we encourage” – too much of it is voluntary, suggestive, where are the mandatory points?
She added: “It is deeply concerning that there is no mention of plans to tackle the marketing which is aimed at children, which can normalise and incentivise unhealthy habits”.
Britain on Thursday said it would tax companies which sell sugary soft drinks and invest that money in health programmes for school children.
“This strategy was Britain’s opportunity to lead the way and to implement real, meaningful environmental change, to start removing the crippling financial burden from our NHS and reversing the tide of diet-related disease”, wrote Oliver.
While many praised the sugar tax announced by George Osborne in March, Dr Jo Bibby, director of strategy at the Health Foundation, said the plan as a whole is “unambitious” and will fail to relieve pressure on health services.
“The Government’s new Childhood Obesity Strategy is ‘the equivalent of taking a water pistol to a gunfight”, Keith Vaz has said.
The British population is one of the fattest in Western Europe. A higher rate will be levied on drinks with 8 grams or more of sugar per 100ml.
“Not only is a tax like this regressive, impacting most on the poorest people in society, it also screams of the nanny state controlling what we should eat, drink and do”.
“We should have less government, not more”.
Soft drinks are the only huge source of sugar for children that is totally unregulated, according to the government.
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The Government are set to introduce a sugar tax on soft drinks including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Red Bull in 2018. But neither measure appears in this new strategy.
