We’re supporting calls for a new, bold approach to tackle England’s decades-long obesity epidemic.
The Health and Social Care Committee has today published a report outlining proposals for how to fix a food environment that pushes consumers towards products high in fat, sugar and salt, which are typically cheaper than nutritious foods.
We support its calls for the Government to prioritise preventing obesity for future generations, as obesity is a major driver of cardiovascular disease.
Last month, we published new analysis which revealed that around 45 people per day are expected to die from cardiovascular disease linked to excess weight and obesity in England over the next decade if current trends continue.
The Committee is urging Government ministers to quickly bring in mandatory reporting and targets for supermarkets and the wider food industry, backed up with penalties, on the amount of healthy food they sell, and new planning policies to stop fast food outlets opening close to schools.
We urge the Government to adopt the Committee's recommendations, resist industry pressure to dilute action, and implement a comprehensive package of measures to improve the food environment and reduce obesity including stronger advertising restrictions and mandatory health targets for large businesses.
Going further, faster
Obesity remains one of the leading causes of preventable ill health in the UK, and is a significant risk factor for heart and circulatory diseases.
Carrying excess weight can lead to fatty build-up in the arteries, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It can also raise blood pressure, cholesterol and the risk of type 2 diabetes - all of which put extra strain on the heart and can be fatal.
John Maingay, our Director of Policy and Influencing, said: “The UK's obesity epidemic is being sustained by an environment which relentlessly encourages us to choose less healthy food and drink.
“We urgently need to make it easier and cheaper for shoppers to fill their baskets with healthy products. The Government announced plans for a new Healthy Food Standard, to encourage higher sales of healthy food and drink, over a year ago, but implementation has been far too slow.
"With obesity driving higher rates of disease and multimorbidity, including in children, the UK needs to go much further, and act faster, to reverse this trend."
