A new survey from Public Health England (PHE) shows overwhelming
public support for reducing sugar and calories in everyday
foods.
The survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI, found around 9 in 10
people support the government working with the food
industry (manufacturers, supermarkets and the eating out of
home sector) to make everyday foods and drinks healthier.
Helping the NHS was named as one of the main reasons for
people supporting this work.
This applied to all sectors, and no concessions were made
for food consumed in restaurants, coffee shops or cafes,
despite this often being labelled as a ‘treat’.
These figures come as Duncan Selbie, chief executive of
Public Health England, tells the food industry that next
year PHE will highlight
where progress has not been made on sugar reduction and
that this may result in further action from the government.
Speaking at today’s, Tuesday 20 November 2018, Food Matters
Live event in London, he will call on every sector
of the food industry, in particular out of home outlets, to
step up and accelerate its efforts.
The survey explored the public’s perception of obesity,
and PHE’s
reduction programmes that have challenged the food industry
to reduce sugar and calories by 20% in everyday foods such
as breakfast cereals, yoghurts and pizzas, as well as ready
meals.
Other notable findings from the survey include:
-
over 9 in 10 respondents think obesity is a problem in
the UK, and 79% believe it has a negative impact on the
NHS
-
only cancer (47% of respondents) and mental health
(43%) are seen as bigger health concerns for the UK
population than obesity (39%)
-
people believe the greatest responsibility for tackling
obesity lies with individuals and families (90%), the
food industry (80%) and the government (72%),
underlining a belief in a collective responsibility
-
there was support from 87% of people to replace
unhealthy products near supermarket tills and
checkouts, with healthier ones
Duncan Selbie, chief executive at PHE, said:
Obesity is the pandemic of modern times. Customers are
saying they want faster progress from the food industry,
and in particular, those businesses that have taken
little or no action. We will be publicly reporting on
these during 2019.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said:
Severe obesity in ten-to-eleven year-olds is at an
all-time high. Plans to improve the nation’s diet are
often described as ‘nanny state’ interference, but it’s
clear people want healthier food and they expect the
industry to play their full part in this.
The survey also shows people expect the government to
tackle obesity, with 60% believing it could do more.
However, the survey was undertaken before the government
published chapter 2 of its Childhood Obesity
Plan.
In May 2018, PHE reported on
progress against the first year sugar reduction ambition of
5%. This showed an overall 2% reduction in foods
contributing the most sugar to children’s diets, with up to
6% reduced in some product categories.
Next year, PHE will publish
further progress towards reaching the 20% sugar reduction
ambition by 2020, as well as guidelines for industry to
achieve the 20% reduction in calories by 2024.
