Fight against obesity crisis to be taken into the home
● Health visitors to advise families on portion control and managing weight
Health visitors will encourage portion control and stage “weight interventions” as part of the Scottish Government’s preventative approach to tackling childhood obesity.
A crackdown on junk food promotions and advertising will also form part of the new initiative aimed at improving the nation’s health. The Scottish Government’s strategy supports calls for a ban on TV and radio advertising of unhealthy food before the 9pm watershed in a bid to drive down the nation’s obesity levels, which currently sit at 30 per cent.
Further steps include more than £40 million for “interventions”, with almost 100,000 weight management schemes for people who have or are at risk of type 2 diabetes.
Medical professionals and health charities said the new strategy would be a step forward in tackling Scotland’s problem with obesity, which is linked to 13 types of cancer.
However, small businesses warned the new proposals could be “challenging and costly” to implement, with political opponents and campaigners raising concerns of a “nanny state intervention”.
Public health minister Aileen
Campbell launched the consultation on ambitious plans to help people lose weight at Tynecastle stadium in Edinburgh yesterday. It will run until 31 January.
She said: “Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and depression. Simply put, it’s harming the people of Scotland. It also puts pressure on the NHS, other public services and our economy.
“That is why we need commitment and action from everyone across all sectors and at all levels including government, citizens, the public sector and businesses right across the country.
“We are putting forward a package of bold measures designed to help people make healthier choices, empower personal change and show real leadership. Now we need people who live, work and consume food and drink in Scotland to tell us what they think.”
The announcement came as Nicola Sturgeon was under pressure on the Audit Scotland report about the NHS at First Minister’s Questions.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson highlighted the report’s finding that seven out of eight key performance standards in the NHS had been missed this year. She said: “The reason, they say, is because this Scottish Government is still struggling to do the basics, and one of the big ones is staffing.”
Ms Sturgeon said: “This is tough stuff, nobody denies that but we will continue to focus on delivering the investment and reform that the NHS needs and that patients across the country deserve.”
Gregor Mcnie, Cancer Research UK’S senior public affairs manager in Scotland, welcomed “a range of bold proposals” in the consultation announced by Ms Campbell.
He added: “Multi-buy offers on alcohol are already regulated in Scotland and the same thing must be done for junk food. Scotland has been in the grip of an obesity epidemic for too long.”
Further proposals are a scheme for restaurants and takeaways including calorie labelling and portion size and calorie cap options which will be published by next summer, and £200,000 funding over the next three year to help small and medium-sized food firms make healthier products.
Andy Willox, the Federation of Small Businesses’ (FSB) Scottish policy convener, warnedoftheimpactofpotential changes on firms such as fishmongers, takeaways, delis, corner shops and bakers.
He said: “These proposals could have huge implications for Scotland’s independent food businesses, many of whom already face spiralling overheads and challenging competition.”
The consultation document states temporary price promotions are also under consideration and that junk foods could be defined by the current nutrient scoring model, by the levels of substances such as sugar or saturated fat, or by the calorie level.
David Thomson, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation Scotland, warned that restricting promotions will hit poorest shoppers the hardest.
He added: “The regulation of promotions within retail premises is a hugely complicated area and could create unfair disadvantage to different types of products.
“We would urge Scottish Government to consult widely and to gather evidence on the financial, practical and legal implications for businesses and consumers before seeking to change the law.”
Prevention in the early years will also be a focus, with health visitors engaging with families to promote healthy eating.
Dr Peter Bennie, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland, said: “Almost every doctor working in the NHS today will be dealing with patients who are overweight or obese. The scale of the challenge facing Scotland means that we need bold and comprehensive action across every part of society in Scotland if we are to successfully reduce levels of overweight and obesity in future years.”
Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said that the suggested involvement of health visitors who are named persons will also raise fears that the strategy risks being perceived as a “nanny state” intervention.
He said: “While it is right for the Scottish Government to take a lead on tackling obesity, restaurants and cafés will have legitimate concerns about the potential extra and damaging regulatory burdens they could face in relation to portion control. We will continue to argue that the emphasis must remain on education and personal responsibility.”
He added: “I welcome the Scottish Government’s intentions in launching this consultation … But it cannot come soon enough as the SNP’S record on diet and obesity is very poor. Obesity is a massive public health challenge.”
Labour’s Colin Smyth said the plan is “overdue” but welcomed it.
He added: “The obesity crisis
Aileen Campbell’s announcement came as Nicola Sturgeon was under is the biggest public health challenge facing Scotland and one that sadly too often impacts on our most deprived communities.
“Two-thirds of adults overweight, over a quarter of children, the worst rates in the UK and among the worst anywhere in the world. It’s clear the current obesity routemap has not met its milestones and radical action is needed.”
He pressed Ms Campbell to commit that the consultation would not be used to “water down tough regulation”.
She said there was “no intention” for the government to backtrack on regulation.
“We are putting forward a package of bold measures designed to help people make healthier choices” AILEEN CAMPBELL ‘Obesity is a crisis which doesn’t just affect the individual, it also places a burden on the nation’ Comment Ross Finnie
Obesity is one of the most serious problems we face in Scotland – currently two out of three of us are overweight or obese, and if current projections continue, the nation could be looking at 40 per cent of people becoming obese by 2030.
Yesterday, the Scottish Government launched its consultation, A Healthier Future – Action and Ambitions on Diet, Activity and Healthy Weight. Food Standards Scotland welcomes this consultation as a positive step towards addressing the nation’s problems with diet and obesity. We will be considering the proposals in detail.
There isn’t a single “silver bullet” – one solution to this ingrained problem – which is why we recommended a wide range of measures which could be taken, including clearer calorie labelling, restrictions on promotions, reformulation and case for taxation beyond soft drinks.
If Scotland is going to become a healthier nation, then everyone including government, industry and individuals have a part to play in changing the narrative.
Recently, we have seen Cancer Research UK and Obesity Action Scotland raise awareness of the link between obesity and 13 different types of cancer, a threat which many of us are facing if we don’t start eating a healthier diet.
There is also a rising number of people in Scotland with type 2 diabetes. Currently, 87 per cent of people in Scotland with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.
A healthy diet and being a healthy weight means type 2 diabetes can be prevented in most cases, and so supporting people to make healthy choices is key to helping people to avoid this life-changing condition.
The cost of obesity in Scotland runs into the billions each year, with the most recent estimate being as high as £4.6 billion, placing unsustainable strain on the NHS. Obesity is a crisis which doesn’t just affect the individual, it also places a huge burden on the nation’s economy.
The weight of evidence is there for us all to see. The time for action is now. l Ross Finnie is chairman of Food Standards Scotland