Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King has spoken out about the "unique role" of supermarkets in the battle against obesity ahead of a meeting with government figures, health experts and parents.
This comes days after Jamie Oliver, who fronts the supermarket’s advertising campaign, lambasted parents who feed their children junk food.
But King criticised Oliver’s aggressive approach to the obesity debate in a column for the Guardian. He said: “While I agree with Jamie’s drive to get children eating healthily, his attack is neither correct nor the best way to achieve change. I ate crisps when I was young, and drank fizzy drinks. My children do the same, and they should be allowed to enjoy them. There is no such thing as bad food - just bad diets. Moderation and variety are the key.
“Dictating to people - or unleashing an expletive-filled tirade - is not the way to get engagement.”
King said supermarkets have a ‘unique role to play’ in promoting balanced diets. “We have contact with shoppers every week and understand how they behave, what turns them off and on,” he said. “As a result, we can help inform our customers about the food they buy.”
King held up the multiple traffic light food labelling system recommended by the Food Standards Agency as the way forward. “I fail to see why some manufacturers and retailers refuse to adopt the Food Standards Agency recommendation of a multiple traffic light (MTL) labelling system,” he said. “Independent research shows that customers find it the easiest to understand.”
