‘Supersize me’ campaigns add 5lb to your waist

SUPERSIZE tactics by retailers mean the average person is consuming an extra 17,000 calories a year – which could mean a 5lb weight gain – health experts have warned.

The Royal Society for Public Health said consumers are facing more than 100 attempts a year by shops to “upsell” unhealthy food and drink. The charity said soaring obesity levels were being fuelled by pushy sales assistants, trained to ask if customers wanted to “go large,” upgrade, or add chocolate and it urged retailers to stop linking staff pay with the success of upselling.

The report carried out with Slimming World, found that over a week, “verbal pushes” meant 34 per cent of customers ended up buying a larger coffee, 33 per cent upgraded to meal deals, and 36 per cent added chocolate.

A survey of more than 2,000 UK adults found that consumers face an average of 106 verbal pushes annually, which led to an extra 17,000 calories a year. These extra calories could mean a potential weight gain of 5lb, the report said.