Tories and Labor called for ‘courage’ to take action against unhealthy food
Britain’s political parties have been urged to show courage in forcing food manufacturers to make their products healthier, as new polls show two-thirds of voters back the move.
Forcing food manufacturers to cut large amounts of fat, salt and sugar would help “denormalize” the routine consumption of unhealthy foods, Sarah Woolnough, the chief executive of the King’s Fund, told the Guardian.
She challenged the Conservatives and Labor to confront the “commercial self-interest” of the food and advertising industries, which are likely to resist mandatory reformulation to stem the rising tide of diet-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and to deal with. Dementia.
Being overweight or obese poses such a huge threat to people’s health and economic prosperity that Britain must remain “on a war footing” and take radical action, inspired by the bold measures that have caused the number of people who smoke to plummet, she added. .
Overall, 67.3% of Britons agree that the government should require companies to reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar they put in their products, according to a survey by influential health think tank Ipsos Mori. Only 5% disagreed.
Almost as many people – 64.6% – want tough new restrictions imposed on the advertising of unhealthy food and drink, a move opposed by Rishi Sunak. Only 5.2% were against.
Woolnough said: “These findings tell us that we need a little more courage from our politicians, from our leaders, to take this stuff seriously. Two-thirds of adults are overweight. The trajectory of overweight and obesity is scary and we need to get ahead of it. This is a major social problem.
“I worry that politicians on all sides are not addressing the enormous social challenge we face with the poor health of the population and that we must be on a war footing. The next government must consider this an ongoing priority. This is a major social problem. We need action.
“I would like to see a government that is willing to be braver and braver and follow public opinion, that is in favor of tough measures against poor nutrition. The audience gets it. Political courage only shows up when you have evidence and signs of support and you can be a little bolder than people have been in the past.”
She said ministers should ignore the ‘nanny state’ arguments from libertarian-minded MPs and think tanks against government intervention on poor nutrition. The Institute for Government last year cited this as a key reason why successive governments had done too little on obesity in recent decades, as Britain had become one of the fattest countries in Europe.
Some politicians had derided government efforts to tackle poor nutrition as nanny statism for “ideological reasons” and some parts of the media for “commercial self-interest”, Woolnough said – a reference to junk food advertising as a major source of revenue for print and broadcast channels.
Last month, Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, warned food manufacturers that a Labor government would force companies reluctant to reformulate their products to do so.
“My approach will and currently is to build that coalition of the willing within the (food and beverage) industry and to make it clear to the rest that it is no longer a question of leaders versus laggards. You either board the steamroller or you go under it,” he said.
He also pointed out that the ubiquity of junk food advertising and the tactics used meant that “as citizens we are highly manipulated by the marketing that comes our way.”
Woolnough, who while working for Cancer Research UK helped convince the last Labor government to introduce bans on cigarette advertising and indoor smoking, took over as boss of the King’s Fund in January after serving in senior roles at several healthcare charities.
She pointed to the government’s success in getting food companies to reduce the amount of salt in their products, as well as the fact that the sugar tax that started in 2018 has made many fizzy drinks healthier, as a roadmap for how ministers can ensure that food becomes healthier. .
But for the reformulation to be successful, it would have to be mandatory and include “milestones” – dates by which certain reductions in fat, salt and sugar must be achieved – as well as the threat of financial penalties for those who don’t comply. she said. If ministers require all manufacturers to do this, it would mean that no company could gain an advantage over its competitors by continuing to use unhealthily high levels of these ingredients.
Changes in the nutritional value of foods could be introduced gradually so that consumers do not notice a change in taste due to reformulation, Woolnough said.
Less than half of the 1,115 respondents in the King’s Fund survey agreed that the government is doing enough to improve health.
Bite Back, the campaign arm of chef Jamie Oliver’s organisation, welcomed Woolnough’s comments. James Toop, CEO, said: “It should be easy to be healthy, but it isn’t. Right now, some of the biggest food companies are raking in billions from selling unhealthy food, while the health of almost a third of British children is at risk.
“We know about it our latest research that seven of the ten largest food companies make most of their money from selling unhealthy food and drinks. This King’s Fund poll reflects what we hear every day from our young people: they are tired of being targeted by junk food giants and want government action. The time for voluntary action is long gone – any government that cares about the health of the next generation must act and introduce further regulation.”
The government said it is already taking “strong action” against poor nutrition. A government spokesperson said: “Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year, and we have taken strong action on junk food and alcohol.
“Our soft drinks levy and salt and sugar reduction programs have already delivered significant results, alongside the introduction of mandatory calorie labeling on menus and the removal of less healthy foods from key supermarket outlets. In addition, we have implemented the largest reform of alcohol taxes in more than 140 years.
“We will also introduce restrictions on ‘buy one, get one free’ offers and advertising less healthy products on TV and online.”
The food industry says many companies are already voluntarily reformulating their products to contain less sugar or salt and fewer calories.
A spokesperson for the Food and Drink Federation said: “For many years, food and drink manufacturers have been tweaking recipes to make them healthier and reduce portion sizes, and have worked hard to achieve the government’s voluntary reformulation targets.
“We continue to invest heavily in the science and innovation needed to remove calories, salt, sugar and fat and add fibre, fruit and vegetables to popular, everyday products. As a result, our members’ products now contribute 13% fewer calories, 15% less sugars and 24% less salt to the average shopping basket than eight years ago.”