‘No need’ for laws to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis
Richard Lloyd, Which?’s executive director, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier this week (March 14): “Andrew Lansley [health secretary] has got to say: ‘We need to see significant progress in six month's time – or we will legislate. Without that stick, nothing will change.”
Lloyd’s comments followed Which? claims that, one year since its launch, the government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal has made inadequate progress at reducing what it described as “the national obesity emergency”.
It claimed there had not been enough action from major food companies to display calorie information, reduce salt in foods and remove trans fats.
Voluntary deals
“The government relies too much on voluntary deals with industry rather than showing real leadership,” said Lloyd. “If food companies don’t agree to help people eat more healthily, then we must see legislation to force them to do so for the sake of the health of the nation.”
But Professor Judy Buttriss, director general of the British Nutrition Foundation, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “I can’t see that introducing regulation will speed things up or benefit fragile new relationships – at the end of the day even legislation can't motivate people in the UK to change what and how much they eat.
Professor Buttriss said progress had been made “in terms of actual and pledged action from industry and in building trust to provide a platform for future progress”.
She said: “The obesity situation has not arrived overnight and it will take a while to change the habits of a lifetime and to see this reflected in statistics. But there is some light at the end of the tunnel – obesity in children seems to have plateaued.”
Terry Jones, the Food and Drink Federation’s (FDF’s) communications director, told FoodManufacture.co.uk, said: “Despite the criticism from Which?, the responsibility deal’s voluntary approach has achieved, in just one year, some considerable progress,” he said.
“Over 70% of the retail market and 47% of the major high street and contract caterers have committed to further reductions in salt in over 80 categories of food. FDF members make up nearly 30% of signatories.”
Also, 90 firms have signed up to the pledge to remove artificial trans fats, a quarter of which are FDF members – representing 69% of the retail market, he added.
Combating obesity
Richard Laming, the British Soft Drinks Association’s media director, said the soft drinks industry had a role to play in combating obesity, by providing consumers with a choice of drinks, including diet and low-calorie options for those who prefer them.
It also ensured that nutritional information about the calorie content of its products is visible and accessible.
"Obesity is multi-factorial, and there is no single action that will resolve it,” said Laming. “To reduce the incidence of obesity requires the involvement of a range of organisations and stakeholders, in order to help people balance their calorie intake with their calorie expenditure. The soft drinks industry is committed to playing its part in this effort.”
Health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “The responsibility deal has delivered far more action, more quickly than before and more than could have been achieved through regulation in that time. We have shown real leadership, working with industry to find an approach that delivers results.
“We see the results in our everyday life – calorie information is on our high street, less salt is in the food we buy and artificial trans fats are being taken out of food. This is helping people around the country to live healthier lives.”
