The chief executive of the NHS has warned the industry there is a need for a reformulation programme in food and drink to tackle sugar consumption, in the same way agreements were forged on salt.
Simon Stevens told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show yesterday that obesity was “the new smoking” and told suppliers and retailers that they needed to step up their efforts to make food healthier.
“We’ve done very well in terms of cutting smoking and teenage pregnancy and drink driving,” Stevens said. “But the new smoking is obesity. One in five cancer deaths is now caused by obesity,” he added.
“One in three of our teenagers are drinking high-energy, sugary drinks,” said Stevens. “I do think we’re going to need reformulation to take sugar out of foods, in the same way that successfully that’s happened with salt.”
Stevens said he wanted to appeal to “responsible retailers, food producers who can smell the coffee here”.
“If that doesn’t happen then, in effect, what we’re doing is a slow-burner food poisoning through all of this sugar that goes on to cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease.”
Two weeks ago The Grocer revealed Tesco was the first retailer to agree to a major sugar reduction programme, with its commitment to cut soft drinks sugar levels by 5% year on year.
The move was welcomed by campaign group Action on Sugar as the start of a “revolution”, and experts said they expected the move to spark a “chain reaction” across the industry, with talks expected in the next few weeks between the DH and industry leaders
Stevens told the Marr Show it was also down to parents to encourage healthier eating, adding:
“As parents, we’ve got responsibilities. When your children come home after school – it’s water, or milk, not fizzy drinks or juice. Cut-up apples not sugary bars. We’ve got responsibilities in schools.”
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