Gary Lineker must take a long, hard look at himself, Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger should be outlawed, fatty foods should be taxed and advertisers must become part of the solution.
Those were just some of the heartfelt views voiced at this week’s Food Standards Agency public debate on child obesity.
More than 500 stakeholders and members of the public attended Tuesday night’s debate in London, giving views which the FSA hopes to incorporate in its ongoing dossier on the issue.
Broadcaster Jeremy Vine chaired a panel of six opinion formers for the ‘Defusing the Diet Time Bomb’ forum, which included health researcher Dr Susan Jebb, Advertising Association chief Andrew Brown and celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson. Although the debate was held on the day that research by the FSA revealed that nine out of 10 consumers believed parents should take the most responsibility for children’s diets, there was little support for the food industry from the floor.
Brown admitted advertisers had a duty to consumers and food and drink manufacturers had to become part of the solution. But he urged a “move away from finding scapegoats”.
Jebb, head of nutrition and health research at the Medical Research Council, disagreed that manufacturers should be forced to sell healthier foods, but argued that they should be made to recognise that many popular lines “could be made in a more healthy way”.
Panellist Kierra Box, a student and youth activist, called for a “fat tax” to be levied on unhealthy foods, an idea that Worrall Thompson dismissed as creating a “nanny state”.
However, industry leaders were still forced to endure an uncomfortable evening.
Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the Food & Drink Federation, was derided for asserting that manufacturers “can only make these things [healthy foods] if people are willing to buy them”.
PepsiCo UK president Martin Glenn was barracked for claiming that advertising was a “small part of the issue” and defending Walkers brand ambassador Lineker.
Simon Mowbray
Those were just some of the heartfelt views voiced at this week’s Food Standards Agency public debate on child obesity.
More than 500 stakeholders and members of the public attended Tuesday night’s debate in London, giving views which the FSA hopes to incorporate in its ongoing dossier on the issue.
Broadcaster Jeremy Vine chaired a panel of six opinion formers for the ‘Defusing the Diet Time Bomb’ forum, which included health researcher Dr Susan Jebb, Advertising Association chief Andrew Brown and celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson. Although the debate was held on the day that research by the FSA revealed that nine out of 10 consumers believed parents should take the most responsibility for children’s diets, there was little support for the food industry from the floor.
Brown admitted advertisers had a duty to consumers and food and drink manufacturers had to become part of the solution. But he urged a “move away from finding scapegoats”.
Jebb, head of nutrition and health research at the Medical Research Council, disagreed that manufacturers should be forced to sell healthier foods, but argued that they should be made to recognise that many popular lines “could be made in a more healthy way”.
Panellist Kierra Box, a student and youth activist, called for a “fat tax” to be levied on unhealthy foods, an idea that Worrall Thompson dismissed as creating a “nanny state”.
However, industry leaders were still forced to endure an uncomfortable evening.
Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the Food & Drink Federation, was derided for asserting that manufacturers “can only make these things [healthy foods] if people are willing to buy them”.
PepsiCo UK president Martin Glenn was barracked for claiming that advertising was a “small part of the issue” and defending Walkers brand ambassador Lineker.
Simon Mowbray
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