The UK government’s plan to cut childhood obesity is being called ‘weak’ and ’embarrassing’ – Business Insider

A
boy exercises during a weight-losing summer camp in Shenyang,
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The UK government’s long awaited strategy to cut childhood
obesity in the country is being criticised by medical
experts and campaigners who say the
Childhood Obesity Plan, published Thursday, is watered down
and does not go far enough to tackle the issue.

Most of the measures outlined in the plan (view a summary
below) rely on voluntary participation from the food and drink
industry, rather than mandatory restrictions.

The plan also excludes measures to curb the advertising of
unhealthy products to children, which had been a priority
outlined by former health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

However, the strategy does outline the government’s
intention to introduce a soft drinks tax. Drinks with more than
8g of sugar per 100ml will be charged at a higher rate than lower
sugar options.

Revenue from the levy will be invested in programmes to encourage
school-aged children take part in physical activity and eat
balanced diets.

The soft drinks industry has two years to lower the sugar in
their products in order not to be taxed before the levy is
legislated in the 2017 finance bill.

But elsewhere, medical experts and campaigners have criticised
the fact that the Childhood Obesity Plan only includes a
voluntary target for manufacturers to cut sugar in children’s
food and drink products, such as cereals and yoghurts, by 20%.

The plan has been roundly criticised as “weak” and
“underwhelming”

Professor Parveen Kumar, chairwoman of the British Medical
Association’s board of science,
told ITV News it looked as though the
government had “rowed back on its promises” by announcing “a weak
plan rather than the robust strategy it had promised.”

Kumar added: “Although the Government proposes targets for food
companies to reduce the level of sugar in their products, the
fact that these are voluntary and not backed up by regulation,
renders them pointless.”

Conservative Party MP and former doctor Sarah Wollaston also
criticised the plan. Writing on Twitter, she said: “Big interests
have trumped those of children in dumping advertising &
promotion from the childhood obesity strategy.”

In downgrading the obesity ‘plan’ many important opportunities have been lost to improve children’s diets & tackle health inequality

— Sarah Wollaston MP (@sarahwollaston) August 17, 2016

Writing on Facebook, celebrity chef and campaigner Jamie
Oliver, said the government’s strategy was “disappointing, and
frankly, underwhelming.”

Jamie
Oliver.
Getty/Scott
Barbour/Stringer

He wrote:

“I’m in shock. The long-awaited Childhood Obesity Strategy from
Theresa May’s new Government is far from robust, and I don’t know
why was it shared during recess. It contains a few nice ideas,
but so much is missing.

“It was set to be one of the most important health initiatives of
our time, but look at the words used – ‘should, might, we
encourage’ – too much of it is voluntary, suggestive, where are
the mandatory points? Where are the actions on the irresponsible
advertising targeted at our children, and the restrictions on
junk food promotions?

“The sugary drinks tax seems to be the only clear part of this
strategy, and with funds going directly to schools that’s great,
but in isolation it’s not enough.

“This strategy was Britain’s opportunity to lead the way and to
implement real, meaningful environmental change, to start
removing the crippling financial burden from our NHS and
reversing the tide of diet-related disease. With this
disappointing, and frankly, underwhelming strategy the health of
our future generations remains at stake.

“I sincerely hope the Government’s promise to ‘take further
action where it is needed’ is true.”

Meanwhile, campaign group Action on Sugar’s campaign manager
Jenny Rosborough
told The Financial Times the strategy was “an embarrassing
and inexcusable waste of a fantastic opportunity to put the
nation’s health first.”

The Childhood Obesity Plan: A summary

• The introduction of a soft drinks tax.
• A voluntary industry scheme for food and drinks manufacturers
  to cut 20% of sugar from children’s products. The programme will
  be monitored by Public Health England, which will set targets for
  calorie and sugar caps.
• The development of a new “nutrient profile” that will help
  people determine which foods and drinks are unhealthy.
• The government will work to encourage local authorities to
  adopt the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering
  Services in public sector buildings.
• The Department of Heath will also collaborate with Public
  Health England, NHS England, and the Behavioural Insights Team to
  trial behavioural interventions in NHS hospitals are the sale of
  unhealthy food and drink.
• The government says it is “re-committing” to the Healthy
  Start scheme, which provides vouchers to people on low incomes
  that can be exchanged for fruit, vegetables, or milk.
• The government will provide a “new interactive online tool”
  to help schools plan at least 30 minutes of physical activity a
  day. The aim is to get school children to take part in 60 minutes
  of physical activity per day.
• A new “healthy rating scheme” for primary schools that will
  be taken into account during Ofsted inspections.
• The Secretary of State for Education will led a campaign
  encouraging all schools to sign up to the new School Food
  Standards, which came into force in January 2015. There’s also a
  campaign planned for early 2017 to raise awareness of voluntary
  healthy food guidelines for children in pre-school.
• The government says it will “build on the success” of the
  current food labelling scheme, which could include clearer visual
  labelling, such as teaspoons of sugar.

from myhealtyze http://www.myhealtyze.tk/the-uk-governments-plan-to-cut-childhood-obesity-is-being-called-weak-and-embarrassing-business-insider/