The government has been slammed by industry leaders after publishing its plans for a crackdown on obesity just hours before the conclusion of the Tory leadership campaign.
The document, called Advancing our Health: prevention in the 2020s, incorporates the Obesity Plan Mark 3. This includes proposals to push ahead with a ban on the sale on energy drinks to under-16s, an ambition for England to end smoking by 2030, as well as new salt reduction targets being lined up for 2020.
The proposals were published after 7pm last night, with no press release or ministerial announcement backing it from health secretary Matt Hancock, a leading supporter of Boris Johnson.
“Today’s announcement of a third Childhood Obesity Plan in the space of just four years is a needless distraction at a time when the food and drink industry faces the unparalleled threat of a no-deal Brexit,” said FDF chief operating officer Tim Rycroft.
“If we leave the EU without a deal we will see food prices rise and significant shortages of some products – now is not the time for the Department of Health & Social Care to rush out plans.
“FDF and its members recognise that obesity levels are too high. Food and drink manufacturers are already fully engaged in a wide range of government-led initiatives. What we need now is an holistic strategy which includes focused action to support those communities where it is most required.”
Some reports accused Hancock of burying plans in the paper to extend sugar taxes, with Johnson having slammed the idea as ‘nanny state’ in the election campaign.
The document does set out the possibility of extending the soft drink sugar levy to sugary milk drinks, but only “if the evidence shows that industry has not made enough progress on reducing sugar”.
The government also promises a consultation by the end of 2019 on labelling, which could lead to new front-of-pack labels on top of traffic lights to flag up HFSS products. However, it is not clear if this will just focus on sugar as has previously been suggested.
New salt reduction targets to be set next year will try to get the industry back on track to meet the target of a 6g per day average consumption. The current level in England is 8g per day, though controversially there will be no progress reports for a further four years.
Public Health England had previously pledged to publish plans for action by Easter this year, after a progress report last year showed nearly half the salt reduction targets for 2017 had been missed by the industry.
It found manufacturers were hitting just 37% of the targets.
While the new document promises a response “shortly” on government plans for making calorie labelling mandatory in the out-of-home sector, there is no specific mention of PHE’s programme of calorie reduction targets, which has also fallen months behind schedule.
The government also promises it will publish “as soon as possible” the results of its hugely contentious consultation over a ban on HFSS promotions in stores, as well as moves towards a 9pm HFSS watershed in TV and online advertising.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chair of Action on Salt, said: “While we are pleased to finally see new salt reduction actions in the prevention green paper, we have concerns over the robustness of these proposed plans, which suggest that monitoring reports will not be released until 2024, four years following implementation of the new salt reduction targets.
“Research released last week exposed the disastrous lack of monitoring under the Public Health Responsibility Deal, which stagnated progress on salt reduction, leading to thousands of preventable cases of stroke, heart failure and heart disease. If the new prime minister wants to show that he really is a strong negotiator and able to stand up to bullies, then he needs to be able to stand up to the UK’s food industry, who have continuously put their profits over the health of those less well off in our society.
“It’s imperative the secretary of state for health introduces robust and independent target setting, monitoring and enforcement as public health has suffered enough.”
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