Doctors in the UK have united in an unprecedented move to launch a campaign to combat obesity and are seeking the views of the fresh produce industry.
GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists and surgeons from all 21 royal medical colleges and faculties are joining forces to gather evidence by 6 June before issuing their report as a springboard for campaign activity next year.
Professor Terence Stephenson, vice-chair of the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges will lead the obesity steering-group and has already come in line for criticism from the advertising industry. Stephenson’s group is calling for the trade and other organisations, businesses, educationalists and individuals to get in touch with their experience of actions and strategies that have worked in preventing or reducing obesity. The group will look at five main areas: individual action such as diet, exercise and parenting; environment such as advertising, labelling, the built environment and policy; clinical interventions; fiscal measures; and education.
Stephenson said: “We recognise the huge crisis waiting to happen and believe that current strategies to reduce obesity are failing to have a significant impact. Speaking with one voice we have more of a chance of preventing generation after generation falling victim to obesity-related illnesses and death.”
But the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers has already slammed the move. The society’s director of public affairs, Ian Twinn, said: “UK doctors are preparing to campaign against business, not the causes of obesity. We actually agree with doctors, and almost everyone else from food business to mums, that obesity is a serious problem demanding serious attention. But it is a problem that we should tackle together as a society. And that is what we are doing by working with government to reinforce better behaviour, better diets and a more active lifestyle.”
The Fresh Produce Consortium has said that it will be making a written submission to enquiry and would reinforce in that the benefit of the school fruit and vegetable scheme as well as its disappointment that the government has “allowed the 5 A Day message to be compromised by including processed foods”.
