Potatoes may have had their chips

If it is to be believed, and there is no reason why it shouldn't, it is extremely good news for the dairy industry and very bad news for chips, crisps and potatoes.

The findings indicate that dairy products, particularly yogurt, aid weight loss while potatoes contribute to weight gain. The yogurt industry might be particularly pleased with the results now that applications for health claims submitted to the European Food Safety Agency are being rejected. The biggest surprise was that cheese did not cause extra weight gain in the diets of the participants.

Some of the other revelations could be dynamite for manufacturers of sugary and processed foods, meat and all things potato. The traditional British diet of meat and two veg, one of the latter being potato, is under threat.

However, the authors did flag up some limitations in the study to do with portion sizes and lifestyle behaviours. For example, people who eat a lot of yogurt migh t have healthier lifestyles in other respects.

Doubtless industry sectors associated with the weight gains will pore over the results seeking flaws that might provide grounds to question the results. But the inescapable fact remains that over-consumption of refined carbohydrates, starches and sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with weight gain, whatever way you look at it.

My saying this may annoy some readers, but I am only stating facts that have been widely reported elsewhere and this evidence, unless challenged, corroborates existing evidence.

But good news for consumers is the finding that only modest reductions in consumption of around 50100 calories a day would be sufficient to prevent the weight gain with age. And for the food industry, that suggests that overall sales of the starchy and refined foods might not be so badly affected even if dietary adjustments of that size were aggregated across the population as a whole. Profitability might be maintained by developing alternative options with less sugar and white flour, and more wholegrains, nuts and seeds in desserts, cakes and biscuits, for example. But could this raise concerns about availability of nuts and seeds in the future?

Meanwhile I am going home to a wholemeal bread cheese sandwich with salad, followed by plain yogurt and raspberries with a sprinkling of granola, but strictly no sugar. Then I might enjoy a small portion of very dark chocolate without guilt.

Clare Cheney is director general of the Provision Trade Federation.