UK gets fatter on less

The average person consumed 20% fewer calories per day in 2004/5 than 30 years ago, according to new government statistics. The figures will add to evidence that sedentary lifestyles, rather than over-indulgence, appear to be chiefly responsible for the nation's spiralling obesity problems.

Figures from a Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) expenditure and food survey suggest that average daily energy intakes from food and drink have declined significantly since 1974.

The Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate and Confectionery Association (BCCCA) claimed that the figures underlined the fact that any credible government strategy to tackle obesity had to place more emphasis on exercise as well as on diet.

"The fact is that we are eating less and simply slapping regulations on the food industry won't solve the problem," said the BCCCA. "We're an easy target. Banning chocolate from schools is not the answer. Getting people to change their lifestyle is the key, and it's a far bigger challenge."

The energy intake statistics are published in a new DEFRA pocket guide containing food industry facts and figures, which highlights the pressures facing the food manufacturing sector. The statistics reveal a 12.6% decline in employment in food manufacturing between 2000 and 2005 compared with an 8.8% increase in employment in food retailing over the same period.

The food industry's deflationary spiral is also demonstrated by a rise in retail food prices of just 8.5% since 1998 compared with a 21.7% rise for all items. In real terms, retail food prices were 11% lower in December 2005 than in January 1998, says the guide.

The amount earned by farmers from a basket of staple food items was 11% lower in 2005 than in 1988. However, the farmers' share has remained relatively constant since the late 1990s.