It’s no secret that obesity is at a record level. With almost a third of our 10 and 11 year olds clinically overweight or obese, we must act now to prevent them becoming Generation XL.
It’s not something government can tackle on its own. We need buy-in from every corner of the country – from schools, parents and local health services to you who manufacture, promote and sell food. Earlier this week I spoke to an audience from the food and drink industry about our Healthy Food Code and how we work with you to help consumers make healthier choices. There have already been some important developments – on salt reductions, on labelling and on food advertising.
Unilever has re-evaluated more than 22,000 products as part of its Nutrition Enhancement Programme, leading to reductions of 30,000 tonnes of trans fat and 7,000 tonnes of saturated fat across its portfolio in 2005 and 2006. And United Biscuits has reformulated its biscuit range to cut saturated fat significantly. Industry has cut out the practice of advertising sweets and sugary foods during children’s TV programmes.
As far as we know, there hasn’t been a single breach of the Ofcom regulations. It shows you’ve listened and you’ve acted quickly. Tesco now uses Disney characters such as Tigger and Mickey Mouse to promote fresh fruit, juices, cereals and yoghurts. Sainsbury's is helping to Feed your Family for a Fiver, combining healthier options and affordable food. And at Disney theme parks, healthy side dishes are the automatic choice in kids’ meals unless you specifically order something else.
This is great work, but it poses a simple question – if they can do it, why can’t everyone? And that’s our challenge – to get every part of the industry taking innovative measures to tackle childhood obesity. We must do more to reduce negative marketing practices elsewhere – and that includes children’s promotions on the internet, at the cinema and in magazines.
I also want to talk about positive marketing. Why can’t we turn ‘pester power’ completely on its head and start using the power of marketing to help rather than hinder parents?
I want to see consumers getting good information and nutritional advice about the food they are eating at the point of choice. I am particularly interested in calorie labelling on menus and on menu boards in chain restaurants – it’s happening in New York and we need to look at how we can provide this and other nutrition information here too.
It’s great that so many companies have invested in low-sugar options but we now need to look at lowering sugar levels in full-sugar products without resorting to artificial sweeteners. About half the market for fizzy drinks is now for no-added-sugar varieties, so let’s do all we can to promote these products. And we need to look at making smaller ‘snack sizes’ readily available. Why can’t we have 250ml sizes replacing 330ml cans and 500ml bottles? All this is ambitious, especially in the current economic climate, but we need to convince people that healthy eating is not necessarily an expensive option.
I will be looking to work ever more closely with the food and drinks industry to ensure we’re all doing what we can to address the ‘obesity time bomb’ and shape a healthy future for our country.
Dawn Primarolo is Public Health Minister.
It’s not something government can tackle on its own. We need buy-in from every corner of the country – from schools, parents and local health services to you who manufacture, promote and sell food. Earlier this week I spoke to an audience from the food and drink industry about our Healthy Food Code and how we work with you to help consumers make healthier choices. There have already been some important developments – on salt reductions, on labelling and on food advertising.
Unilever has re-evaluated more than 22,000 products as part of its Nutrition Enhancement Programme, leading to reductions of 30,000 tonnes of trans fat and 7,000 tonnes of saturated fat across its portfolio in 2005 and 2006. And United Biscuits has reformulated its biscuit range to cut saturated fat significantly. Industry has cut out the practice of advertising sweets and sugary foods during children’s TV programmes.
As far as we know, there hasn’t been a single breach of the Ofcom regulations. It shows you’ve listened and you’ve acted quickly. Tesco now uses Disney characters such as Tigger and Mickey Mouse to promote fresh fruit, juices, cereals and yoghurts. Sainsbury's is helping to Feed your Family for a Fiver, combining healthier options and affordable food. And at Disney theme parks, healthy side dishes are the automatic choice in kids’ meals unless you specifically order something else.
This is great work, but it poses a simple question – if they can do it, why can’t everyone? And that’s our challenge – to get every part of the industry taking innovative measures to tackle childhood obesity. We must do more to reduce negative marketing practices elsewhere – and that includes children’s promotions on the internet, at the cinema and in magazines.
I also want to talk about positive marketing. Why can’t we turn ‘pester power’ completely on its head and start using the power of marketing to help rather than hinder parents?
I want to see consumers getting good information and nutritional advice about the food they are eating at the point of choice. I am particularly interested in calorie labelling on menus and on menu boards in chain restaurants – it’s happening in New York and we need to look at how we can provide this and other nutrition information here too.
It’s great that so many companies have invested in low-sugar options but we now need to look at lowering sugar levels in full-sugar products without resorting to artificial sweeteners. About half the market for fizzy drinks is now for no-added-sugar varieties, so let’s do all we can to promote these products. And we need to look at making smaller ‘snack sizes’ readily available. Why can’t we have 250ml sizes replacing 330ml cans and 500ml bottles? All this is ambitious, especially in the current economic climate, but we need to convince people that healthy eating is not necessarily an expensive option.
I will be looking to work ever more closely with the food and drinks industry to ensure we’re all doing what we can to address the ‘obesity time bomb’ and shape a healthy future for our country.
Dawn Primarolo is Public Health Minister.
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