Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system
Following their inquiry earlier this year, the House of Lords Food Diet and Obesity Committee have today published a report, in which they make a strong call on the Government to develop a comprehensive, integrated and long-term strategy to fix our broken food system.
Their recommendations pull together a suite of actions to improve food environments and make healthier foods more accessible for all. Noting there is no silver bullet, these recommendations place the food industry at the heart of their strategy, with key actions including:
- Salt and sugar reformulation taxes for food manufacturers
- Mandatory regulation of the food industry, with the exclusion of food businesses from any discussion on the formation of food policy, if they have a heavy reliance of sales from less healthy food and drink
- A complete ban on advertising less healthy foods across all media
- Mandatory reporting for large food businesses on the healthiness of their sales
- Handing responsibility for nutrition and the food system back to the Food Standards Agency for independent oversight
Baroness Walmsley, Chair of the Food, Diet and Obesity Committee said:
“Food should be a pleasure and contribute to our health and wellbeing, but it is making too many people ill. Something must be going wrong if almost two in five children are leaving primary school with overweight or obesity and so many people are finding it hard to feed healthy food to their families. That is why we took a root and branch look at the food system and analysed what had gone wrong over the past few decades.
“Over the last 30 years successive governments have failed to reduce obesity rates, despite hundreds of policy initiatives. This failure is largely due to policies that focused on personal choice and responsibility out of misguided fears of the ‘nanny state’. Both the Government and the food industry must take responsibility for what has gone wrong and take urgent steps to put it right.
“We hope, given the recent comments from the Prime Minister, Lord Darzi and the Secretary of State for Health, that there is now an appetite to shift towards prevention of ill health. We urge the Government to look favourably on our plan to fix our broken food system and accept that not only is it cost-effective, but that it would lead to a lot less human misery.”
We welcome this report and wholeheartedly agree with its findings. For too long, the food industry have dictated policy for their own benefit but at the expense of our nations health. This new Government must take action, where others have previously failed.
Dr. Kawther Hashem, Head of Research and Impact at Action on Sugar, says:
"This new report highlights the crucial need for policies that significantly improve what, where and how we eat and drink. A ban on advertising less healthy food across all media by the end of this parliament is especially significant, as evidence shows it can strongly influence children's eating habits from an early age, promoting unhealthy options.
Additionally, the introduction of a salt and sugar reformulation tax for food manufacturers, inspired by the success of the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), is essential, given that voluntary sugar and salt reduction programmes have proven less effective. Without financial pressure, food companies have little incentive to improve their products.
"Unquestionably, unhealthy food high in salt, sugar, and fat, with insufficient fruit, vegetables, and fibre, is a leading cause of death globally. We urgently need a food environment that prioritises making healthier options more accessible, available, and affordable for all."
