Food sector must do more to tackle obesity

Dr Susan Jebb, who is also head of diet and population health at the Medical Research Council unit responsible for human nutrition research, said: “Every single food company has something to contribute to calorie reduction, and we are a long way from seeing full coverage across the market in terms of sign-up to this deal.”​

Speaking at a conference on obesity policy organised by the Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum in London earlier last month (February 7), Jebb noted that although a huge amount of effort had been devoted to getting firms to sign up, “a huge challenge”​ remained in getting more companies to add their names to those that had already made commitments.

The FN is part of a wider PHRD covering other areas such as physical activity, alcohol consumption and health at work, launched by the former health secretary Andrew Lansley to reduce levels of obesity, which now has about 500 organisations signed up. It is a voluntary initiative designed to get manufacturers and retailers to reformulate their food and drink products to make them healthier by reducing their fat, sugar and salt content, and use calorie labelling to help inform consumers.

Front-of-pack labelling pledge​

“Looking forward, we are hoping to introduce a pledge in relation to front-of-pack labelling​,” said Jebb. “I hope, in due course, we will be able to encourage companies to sign up to that scheme as part of the Responsibility Deal.” ​She also hoped to introduce a pledge on saturated fat reduction and new pledges on the promotion of foods.

Since Lansley’s call to action on population calorie intake reduction in November 2011, 31 companies had now signed up to help consumers cut their calorie intake, said Jebb. That involved: reducing fat and sugar content of food and drink; through portion control; marketing of healthier products, together with the provision of better information to consumers. The latest efforts had focused on sugary drinks, she added.

However, while the retail sector had achieved a lot, more needed to be done by the catering sector, she claimed. “What I am keen to see is the out of home sector catch up with the work that the manufacturers and retailers have done.”​  Looking ahead, the spotlight would be on reducing portion sizes in in cinemas and theme parks, she added.

Breakfast cereal advertising restrictions​

At the same conference, Sue Davies, chief policy adviser for consumer watchdog Which?, called for more action to restrict TV advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) – particularly breakfast cereals – to children. Davies also argued for greater restrictions covering advertising on packaging and sports sponsorship.  She also claimed the PHRD lacked penalties for firms that failed to deliver healthier foods.

However, Ian Twinn, director of public affairs with the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, disputed that controls on advertisers would result in reduced levels of obesity. In particular, given children’s access to the internet and ‘on-demand’ TV viewing, he claimed a 9.00pm watershed for HFSS product advertising to children would not work. “Watersheds don’t really work anymore,”​ said Twinn.