Cutting calories ‘will solve obesity crisis’

The government will encourage individuals to take responsibility for their eating habits and will not be not be legislating against junk food.

In a bid to cut 5 billion calories, or 16.9 million cheeseburgers, off the nation’s daily diet, the government’s Call to Action strategy calls for people to be more honest about how much they eat and drink and says it will work with industry and the public sector to make changes.

England has one of the highest rates of obesity in Europe: over 60 per cent of adults and a third of 10- and 11-year-olds are overweight or obese.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said that the food and drink industry needs to play a greater role in supporting people to make healthier choices.

In August, a study published in the Lancet predicted that 23 million people in the UK will be obese by 2030, raising obesity levels from 26 per cent to 48 per cent for men, and up to 43 per cent for women.

In response to the report, campaigners called for governments to make healthy food more affordable and work across the sector to change current products.

Reducing calories is key

At the launch of today’s strategy, the government said that overconsumption of calories was at the heart of the obesity problem.

England’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said that too many of us are eating or drinking more than we need to. “Increasing physical activity is a part of the equation, but reducing the amount of calories we consume is key,” she said.

“We all have a role to play, from businesses to local authorities, but as individuals we all need to take responsibility.”

We all have a role to play, from businesses to local authorities, but as individuals we all need to take responsibility. Dame Sally Davies, England’s Chief Medical Officer

If obesity across the UK goes up by 40 per cent by 2030, as predicted by the Lancet report, it will cost the NHS an extra £2bn per year – the equivalent of 2 per cent of health spending.

“We have to halt and then reverse the tide of obesity in this country. Government has a role to play, but it is clear that we cannot do this alone,” said Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.

“We need to work in a broad partnership with local authorities, businesses, charities, health professionals and individuals.

“Utterly inadequate response” by government

The Call to Action was met with disappointment by campaigning groups. Charlie Powell, campaigns director of the Children’s Food Campaign said the strategy was an “utterly inadequate response” and said there was no detail about how reducing calorie consumption would be achieved.

High in rhetoric and lacking in substance, it is nothing less than an abdication of the government’s responsibility to protect public health. Charlie Powell, Children’s Food Campaign

“High in rhetoric and lacking in substance, it is nothing less than an abdication of the government’s responsibility to protect public health,” he said. “We are witnessing breathtaking procrastination from a complacent government more intent on cosying up to industry than providing a robust regulatory response to reverse the record levels of obesity which place the UK as the fattest nation in Europe.”

Clinical obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. A healthy or normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9 while a BMI of 25 to 29.9 falls in the overweight range.