HFSS u-turn: public health directors from north of England slam government

Directors of public health from across the north of England have signed an open letter to the PM condemning the government’s u-turn on the National Obesity Strategy.

The letter, signed by a dozen authority bosses, described the backtrack as “shocking” and said it was watering down a key plank of the government promise to level up the north-south divide.

At the weekend, the government confirmed policies to ban HFSS multibuy promotions and the marketing of less healthy food and drink on TV and online were to be delayed by at least a year. There are fears among campaign groups they may be scrapped altogether, despite legislation having received royal assent.

The letter, co-ordinated by the healthy weight campaign group Food Active, points to statistics which show children living in the north of England are more likely to live with obesity than a child elsewhere in England.

By year six, 22.6% of children in the north are living with obesity compared to 20.5% in the rest of England, it said.

“The National Obesity Strategy, published just under two years ago, held so much promise to help tackle the environmental drivers of obesity, and we welcomed this with open arms,” said professor Matthew Ashton, director of public health at Liverpool City Council and lead director of public health at Food Active.

”This is why we are so very disappointed to see the sudden change in direction on important policies that we know will help reduce childhood obesity and support efforts to ‘level up’ the significant health inequalities found across the north and south of England.

“Local areas are working really hard to address these issues, but there is only so much we can do without support from central government. Advertising unhealthy food and drinks on TV and online platforms is not helpful for our children and we need the government’s help to put an end to this.

“If the government is truly serious about reducing childhood obesity and levelling up inequalities in health, we ask that they don’t turn their back on the national obesity strategy now.”