PTF weighs in on the debate
Provision Trade Federation (PTF) boss Clare Cheney used her column in the March edition of our sister magazine Food Manufacture to assert unbalanced diets were the cause of obesity.
Cheney said too many people had unbalanced diets and, although there are more calories in fat than sugar, it was not hard to have a diet that is too rich in sugar and refined carbohydrates and yet contains reasonable fat levels.
The latter, therefore, may not be the main cause of obesity in those for whom cutting out calories from fat alone may not result in a more balanced diet, she added.
Government initiatives did little to help people to construct a balanced diet as depicted in the Eatwell plate. This does not rule out fatty foods or those containing sugar and would not outlaw a BLT or a fruit yogurt, for example, Cheney claimed.
Read her full column here.
Cheney will stand down as director general of the PTF in September and be replaced by Food and Drink Federation communications director Terry Jones.