UK Government releases 'castrated' childhood obesity strategy

Sugar - credit Umberto Salvagnin

The UK Government is to publish its long-awaited childhood obesity strategy today amid claims it is an “unforgiveable missed opportunity” by health campaigners. 

The measures, to be unveiled today, includes further consultation on the sugar tax, and otherwise voluntary action by the food and drink industry and do not include restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising, as mooted by government advisers.

The Department of Health said the plan is for the food and drinks industry to “work towards” a 20 per cent reduction in sugar in products popular with children - including a 5 per cent reduction in the first year.

The target is not mandatory and there will be no subsequent action for failing to meet it.

The Scottish Government is yet to release its strategy for Scotland, but the UK Government's plan will affect retail across Britain.

Public Health England advised tougher restrictions on sugary products, including curbs on marketing and promotion.

“It’s been castrated,” one Whitehall source told The Times.

Sarah Wollaston, Tory chair of the health select committee, said it had been watered down.

“The key message on childhood obesity should have been about the importance of reducing junk calories," she said.

“In completely removing whole sections from the draft strategy, it is hugely disappointing that the obesity plan puts the interests of the advertising industry ahead of the interests of children.

“The plan also misses the opportunity to improve children’s diets by reining in the saturation marketing and promotion of junk food.”

The soft drinks industry remains unhappy with the sugar tax on their products, as unveiled by former chancellor George Osborne in his last budget in March. Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Asssociation (BSDA), said the move will lead to the loss of 4,000 jobs.

“As an industry we recognise we have a role to play in tackling obesity, so it’s a sad irony that the one category that has led the way in reducing consumers’ sugar intake – down 16 per cent from soft drinks since 2012 – is being targeted for a punitive tax," he said.

However campaign group Action on Sugar said previous attempts at industry self-regulation had failed.

Chairman Professor Graham MacGregor said: "After the farce of the Responsibility Deal where Andrew Lansley made the food industry responsible for policing themselves, it is sad to see that this is just another imitation of the same Responsibility Deal take two. It is an insulting response to the UK crisis in obesity type 2 diabetes both in children and adults. This will bankrupt the NHS unless something radical is done."

Obesity rates in Scotland are amongst the highest in the world, even higher than in England. Two in every three adults in Scotland are overweight, meaning people of normal weight in Scotland are now in the minority.