National Food Strategy author Henry Dimbleby has urged the government to revive its health inequalities white paper, as a matter of urgency, after it was shelved following the resignation of former health secretary Sajid Javid in July.
Giving evidence to the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Committee today, Dimbleby warned the NHS was in danger of “collapse” unless ministers stepped up their battle against the obesity crisis.
He also called on new health secretary Thérèse Coffey to push ahead with the ban on multibuy promotions, including bogofs and the clampdown on junk food advertising, both of which have been put under review.
Dimbleby said he also wanted to see the legislation include a requirement for mandatory reporting by food companies on how many of their products were HFSS, as well as the proportion of sales from meat, because of the damage to the environment caused by intensive farming methods.
Professor Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical officer, is believed to have been heavily involved in drafting the white paper, though campaigners have expressed fears it will be permanently ditched.
“We need to see that white paper and we need to see it soon,” Dimbleby told the committee.
“I want to see the government doing the things they said they’d do. So advertising, and bogofs those two this need to happen.”
“Secondly, all big companies should have to report what food they are selling, how much HFSS, how much meat and how that is changing over time.”
Dimbleby repeated his early admissions that his report’s call for new taxes of products high in salt and sugar were politically unpalatable at present, but said the white paper should set out an alternative way to make healthy food cheaper in comparison to HFSS.
The Leon restaurant founder, who is now a non-executive lead at Defra, also called on ministers to agree to growing calls from health campaign groups to extend free school meals to all children with families receiving universal credit.
Dimbleby’s appearance came after a new report from the Food Foundation today revealed nearly one in five low-income families experienced food insecurity in September, worse than during the first weeks of the Covid lockdown.
It found millions of people were forced to skip meals or go a whole day without eating in recent months.
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