Stark warning to Prime Minister not to u-turn on child health

Members of the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of health organisations including Sustain, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and the Royal College of Physicians, say swift measures to address obesity are vital if the Government is going to realise its targets of halving childhood obesity by 2030, narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy, and tackle the NHS backlog. 

The warning comes after persistent rumours that the Prime Minister and his new policy chief, Andrew Griffith MP, are being heavily lobbied by the advertising industry and by multinational food companies to delay and water down incoming new laws to restrict multi-buy promotions on unhealthy food in shops, and a 9pm watershed on TV and total ban online on junk food adverts. To concede now would see the Government renege on repeated commitments to these policies, including most recently from the Secretary of State for Health, Sajid Javid, who only last week insisted the Government is absolutely committed to the measures. Parliament passed the promotions restrictions into law last November and is currently on track to do the same for the advertising restrictions.

It would also fly in the face of public opinion, which new polling has revealed is firmly in support of tighter rules on junk food marketing tactics¹:

• 74% of people support stopping junk food adverts being shown on TV before 9pm
• 74% of people support stopping junk food adverts being shown online
• 72% want to see restrictions on shops promoting unhealthy foods in prominent areas such as at checkouts and in shop entrances
• 57% welcome restrictions on multi-buy promotional offers (e.g., buy-one-get-one free) on unhealthy foods in shops

Levels of childhood obesity are now at a devastating all-time high, having risen by 4.6% in the last year alone. 28% of children now start primary school with a weight classed as overweight or obese, rising to 41% in 11–12-year-olds[2]. Children from the most deprived backgrounds are more than twice as likely to have obesity than the most affluent children, meaning addressing obesity is a core part of levelling up the UK. 

Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance said: 

“In 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the nation he would make healthier choices easier for everyone. Rowing back on these promises now would leave him with the legacy as the leader who cancelled laws which would prevent thousands of children from developing obesity."

Barbara Crowther, Sustain's Children's Food Campaign Co-ordinator said:

"We all want a healthy society for our children to grow up in. The government has invested significant time in examining evidence behind these policies, and has consulted for several years before bringing forward these carefully targetted measures in order to stem the tide of junk food marketing aimed at children and their parents. 

"The Prime Minister has the opportunity to make the UK a true world leader in terms of stimulating a healthier food and drink industry. His government has worked incredibly hard to deliver his promise to tackle obesity. To falter in these final stages as a result of this last ditch, self-interested industry pressure would be a devastating betrayal of children's health, and would be a further blow to overstretched health services dealing with increased rates of diet-related diseases."

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive at the British Heart Foundation, said: 

“Addressing the UK’s stubbornly high obesity rates is going to take far, far more than personal willpower alone. It is simply impossible to expect that we can level up life expectancies across the UK’s poorest communities without full implementation of the landmark obesity strategy.”

Professor Rachel Batterham, Royal College of Physicians special adviser on obesity, said:

“It is incredibly concerning to hear that the prime minister might row back on plans to stem the tide of aggressive marketing of unhealthy food and drink. This could have devastating consequences, particularly for children and young people.

“Around one in five children in the UK is living with obesity, and we now know much more about why. Some people have genes that protect them against developing obesity, and others have genes that make them more prone to putting on weight.

“If we lived in a healthy environment, this wouldn’t be such an issue, but we aren’t. We’re surrounded by foods high in fat, salt and sugar, and endless prompts to eat them. That’s why measures to restrict marketing tactics like buy one get one free and promoting junk food at checkouts and aisle ends are so important.”

 

Notes

1. Savanta ComRes interviewed 2,245 nationally representative UK adults aged 18+ online between 4th and 6th February 2022. Savanta ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

2. The UK Government committed to halving childhood obesity and closing the inequality gap by 2030 in its 2018 ‘Child Obesity: Chapter 2’. In 2018 child obesity prevalence was 9.7% in reception aged children and 20.2 in year 6 children. It is now 14.4% and 25.5% in reception and year 6 children respectively. Data from NCD Risk NHS Digital (2021). National Child Measurement Programme, England 2020/21 School Year.