Obesity and single-use plastic have a lot in common. They’re both serious threats to society, which the food and drink industry has spent years, piles of money and buckets of sweat to eradicate. And now they’re back on the rise as the result of Covid-19.
Plastic’s return is down to its hygiene benefits, with Starbucks banning reusable cups in a bid to minimise the spread of infection, while the 5p single-use plastic carrier bag charge has been waived for bags used in online grocery deliveries in England.
Worryingly, it’s in danger of once again piling up in landfill sites as recycling centres across the UK close or reduce their services to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Greenpeace and the Recycling Association, among many others, have already drawn attention to the problem.
Now the threat of obesity is gaining prominence too. And for good reason. Research revealed this week by the New York University Grossman School of Medicine suggests obese people are more likely to be hospitalised with Covid-19 than those with cancer or lung disease.
It’s a warning that has been backed by a separate study from NYU Langone Health, which found that being very overweight put people at higher risk of hospitalisation due to complications from the virus.
In ordinary circumstances, such health warnings would have the public heading to the gym or the supermarket’s salad segment. But, of course, these are not ordinary times. Strenuous exercise and a strict healthy eating regime are out of the window for most locked-down Brits.
The government’s rules on leaving home, shortages of some products, and people’s preference for convenient, longer-life food over fresh goods have all played their part. As have the desire to comfort eat and general ennui. According to Just Eat, bored families are ordering takeaways earlier in the day, and adding desserts and sides more often.
All of which is understandable, to say the least. But it risks undoing much great work by the industry, health campaigners and the government.
Suppliers need, as best as they can, to continue efforts to reformulate and innovate for the good of shoppers’ wellbeing. And now more than ever, messaging about healthy eating is vital. Supermarkets were quick to adapt their advertising to address these generation-defining times. One hopes brands will increasingly do so too.
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