‘Despite the strategy being focused on tackling obesity, the knock on effect it would have had on oral health was enormous and what we have seen today spells bad news for generations of our children. It pointed to the 2011 “responsibility deal” where the food industry was made responsible for policing themselves, and argued that voluntary measures do not work.
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Referring to the Government’s emergency response, Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: “The Government’s own senior health advisers have called obesity a “national risk” requiring a COBRA-style crisis management response”.
Ministers hope the food industry will cut 20% of sugar from the foods children enjoy, such as cereals, yoghurts, sweets, breads and desserts, over the next five years, with a 5% cut in the first year.
If the industry fails to implement the changes voluntarily, the Government will consider “whether alternative levers need to be used”. Too many children are drinking too many fizzy, sugary drinks.
Dr Sundborn says the use of a food labelling system offered promise, but the Government adopted the most industry-friendly labelling system.
Under the plan, the government is to introduce a soft drinks industry levy on producers and importers across the United Kingdom, created to encourage a reduction in the amount of sugar contained in these products.
LONDON (AP) Britain unveiled a plan Thursday to battle rising child obesity by taxing sodas, urging food manufacturers to cut down on sugar and getting schoolchildren to exercise more.
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead of Obesity Action Scotland said “Now is the time for Scotland to step up and show that level of leadership again by changing the food environment to ensure the healthy choice is the easy choice”.
Theresa May seems to have concluded that the sugar levy on soft drinks – announced in the Budget in March – was enough government intervention.
Anti-sugar campaigners have spoken of their disappointment, going so far as to accuse the government of failing children.
Mr Vaz, a Type 2 Diabetic and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Diabetes, said he was concerned it failed to include any restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising. He added: “This stark difference is so significant and, for me, this is a strategy of inaction, not action”. “This takes no account of the personal misery of the conditions which have to be treated; the shortened lives that many of them will have and the cost to businesses they work for because of sick leave”.
Treasury Minister Jane Ellison said today’s announcement, which she labelled “world leading”, marked the “beginning, not the end of a conversation”.
The Government said that the revenue from the levy, which will placed on producers and importers rather than consumers, will be invested in physical activity for school children.
She said one of the problems with the reformulation was that it is “quite technical”.
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”. “We will measure progress carefully and are not ruling out further action if results are not seen”.
The strategy asks the food and drink industry to cut 5% of the sugar in products popular with children over the next year.
And celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has been at the forefront of lobbying for a sugar tax, took to Facebook to say he was “in shock”.
“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?”
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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”.
