Let me start by saying I’m all for a healthier society and for helping to reduce pressure on the NHS, but it seems that successive governments (not exclusively Labour – any party) always point the finger at the food and drink industry, making it out to be the villain.
First they came for our cakes, then our soft drinks, and now the milkshakes. But these issues aren’t just down to what we eat and drink, it’s about our lifestyles – how much screentime we have, how much we exercise, etc. If we have a society glued to screens and stuck in seats, moving less and less, we are inevitably going to see health issues. In my view the Government needs to lean just as hard on the tech giants who are keeping children glued to screens and sitting still rather than focusing so narrowly on sugar as the devil ingredient.
When I was a kid in the 1980s, we practically ran on sugar and virtually no one was overweight. In fact, I spent a fair bit of my childhood always hungry, but I was a ball of energy 24/7 and would think nothing of disappearing all day to play football, rugby, ride bikes, climb trees or go skateboarding
So, Rachel, why don’t you pick a fight with Silicon Valley rather than the food and drink industry? Our industry is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, yet it’s constantly vilified by governments because it’s an easy target.
Let’s stop targeting the symptoms and start targeting the root cause: a society that simply isn’t as active as it used to be.
Stop the shortcuts, GLP-1 jabs, video games as entertainment, and social media as socialising. There needs to be more investment going into food education, helping parents of younger child understand nutrition better and maintain that ethos throughout school. Bring back a focus on food tech and basic cooking lessons!
We also need to see more investment into grassroot sports along with free, safe spaces for children to play and be active as I did in the 1980s. Is making sugary milkshakes going to prohibit purchase? I doubt it.
Let’s see you tax Meta, X and TikTok, not our tasty milkshakes.
As Pink Floyd once sang ‘all in all you’re just another brick in the wall’. It kind of feels like that, doesn’t it?
Adios - I am off to get a decent full sugar, full fat milkshake!
