The Food, Diet and Obesity Committee has published a report calling for the British government to fix the broken food system and turn the tide on the public health emergency.

Part of the House of Lords Select Committee, The Food, Diet and Obesity Committee was appointed to make recommendations about tackling obesity, as well as ensure everyone has access to affordable healthy food.

The shocking reality

England has one of the highest rates of obesity among high-income nations, driven primarily by unhealthy diets. More than 20 per cent of children start primary school overweight and the cost of obesity amounts to 1-2 per cent of the UK GDP each year in terms of healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Health issues that excess weight and poor diet can lead to include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and musculo-skeletal issues such as osteoarthritis. Those living with obesity are also more likely to have poor mental health. Obesity has overtaken tobacco as a risk factor for disability in England and in terms of life years lost, obesity is second behind smoking.

Between 1992 and 2020 governments proposed nearly 700 policies to tackle obesity, but the rates have continued to rise. The report says this was the result of relying on individual responsibility rather than tackling the reasons why people eat unhealthily.

Key issues

Multiple studies have shown a correlation between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and adverse health outcomes. They are estimated to make up more than half of the average energy intake in the UK and are often the most affordable and convenient option for people living with food insecurity.

Giving evidence to the committee, Dr Rob Ralston, lecturer in public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said it’s often not in the interests of corporations to promote healthier food products, as the profit margins are lower and the corporations have a duty to shareholders to maximise profits.

Baby and infant nutrition is another important area to address, since some commercial infant foods have more sugar than biscuits or confectionery and it’s legal to market them for use from four months of age, even though government dietary guidance says solid foods should only be introduced from six months.

The most deprived children are more than twice as likely to be living with obesity than the least deprived. Almost one fifth of children live in food insecure households and per calorie, healthier foods have been estimated to be more than twice as expensive as less healthy food.

While the Healthy Start scheme plays an important role in enabling pregnant women and families to access fruit, vegetables and milk, the value of payments has not kept pace with price increases.

Often the free school meals allowance does not cover the cost of a nutritious meal and about one third of children in poverty aren’t eligible for free school meals. A Bite Back youth board member who gave evidence to the Committee said free school meals at her school are a fried chicken breast in a white bun.

Recommendations

The report calls on the government to take a new approach to the food industry, regulating businesses that rely on sales of less healthy food and giving businesses incentives to sell more healthy food. It calls for a strategy to reduce the sales of less healthy foods and make healthier, minimally processed foods affordable and accessible to all.

A new tax on businesses using salt and sugar might reduce calorie intake and free up funding to make healthier food cheaper, either by subsidising fruit and vegetables or extending free school meals.

Ambitious goals for maternal and infant nutrition, with a strategy to achieve them, is required, as well as strong, mandatory compositional and marketing standards for commercial infant food.

The Committee also recommends auto-enrolment for Healthy Start and free school meals and a review of the costs and benefits to public health of increasing funding rates and widening eligibility.

Kenny Butler, strategic lead for health and wellbeing at UK Active, says that tackling obesity and related illnesses requires holistic solutions involving both nutrition and physical activity, which is why the health and fitness sector is essential in the government’s ambition to prioritise prevention.

“The latest findings from Sport England show that gyms and leisure centres are driving activity levels among children and young people, based on our engaging, safe and supportive services, but we know societal inequalities remain, and many children and young people have told us they want to be more active, as well as voicing concerns about their parents’ health,” he says.

“To ensure sustainable results, we must support more people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to lead active, healthy lives as part of a national prevention strategy to reduce pressure on the NHS, social care and the economy.”

The government now has two months to respond. You can read the full report here.