The fruit and vegetable industry is well placed to benefit from further evidence that obesity is one of the major problems facing British society in the early 21st century.
The Food Standards Agency has published a new report that will tackle what chairman John Krebs has labelled a “ticking timebomb”. He said: “There's a greater trend to greater obesity. More than half the population are overweight or obese.”
Krebs is calling for a wide-reaching public debate on the issue, adding that if nothing is done, life expectancy will begin to fall in the UK for the first time in 100 years. Life expectancy has doubled in the last 140 years, due to a variety of reasons, and any decline would amount to an “extraordinary reversal in gains in health”, he said.
While the FSA's guidelines stop short of encouraging people to eat more fruit and vegetables, they nevertheless ask the government to consider a raft of measures that would have a similar effect in boosting fresh produce consumption. These include:
• the reduction of fat, sugar and salt in children's food ñ the government has already called an emergency ësalt summit', which will take place tomorrow and involve big-name players such as Heinz, McDonald's and Birds Eye.
• restrictions on advertising of sweets, crisps and snacks during peak children's TV viewing times.
• prohibition of food adverts aimed at pre-school children
• placement of compulsory health warnings on some foods.
• barring the sale of sugary drinks or sweets from school vending machines.
• a block on celebrity endorsements of sweets and link promotions for sweets and snacks and school equipment.
Public health minister Melanie Johnson has already voiced her concerns and will use a summit to encourage other supermarkets to take the lead of Sainsbury's and actively reduce salt in their products. The agency's report has been widely welcomed, although scepticism surrounds the ability of MPs to deliver the changes it asks for.
