Row as child obesity plan unveiled

Thursday August 18th, 2016

Plans to reduce child obesity in England, announced today, failed to satisfy campaigners.

The government is to press ahead with a levy on sugary drinks and says it can persuade the industry to reduce sugar content in food by 20%.

It also wants all children to have an hour of physical activity a day, promising to put the sugar levy towards schools.

But campaigners said it had failed to consider a ban on advertising junk foods and wider use of taxes.

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health president Professor Neena Modi said she was "extremely disappointed" by the proposals.

She said the long-awaited strategy had been replaced by a "weak plan which provides no bold action, and instead relies on physical activity, personal responsibility, and voluntary product reformulation."

She added: “Exercise is good but exercise alone will not curb obesity. It would take an hour of hard exercise to work off one chocolate chip muffin. And what is deeply saddening because they can't exercise personal responsibility is the failure of the state to protect infants and children."

She said: "This is why the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has long called for a combination of measures that include the introduction and objective evaluation of tough policies such as taxes on unnecessary unhealthy foods, restrictions on fast food outlets near schools, banning advertising of junk foods, and breaking the vicious trans-generational cycle of overweight and obesity by helping young people go into their child bearing years healthy.

“Had measures such as these been put forward, the UK would have a strategy of which to be proud. Instead, infants and children have been let down, and because the overwhelming majority of obese children will become obese adults, Government is placing the health of the entire nation in grave jeopardy. This is short-termism at its worse."

Cancer Research UK chief executive Harpal Kumar said: "Today is a missed opportunity in that fight. The sugar levy alone isn’t enough to ensure children live long and healthy lives.

"While encouraging more exercise in schools is to be welcomed, the evidence is compelling that we also need restrictions on the marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods."

Tags: Child Health | Diet & Food | Fitness | UK News

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