Supermarkets’ junk food deals ‘should be banned’
SUPERMARKETS should be banned from offering cut- price deals on junk food to stop poorer families getting fat, the chairman of the health select committee has claimed.
Dr Sarah Wollaston said there were too many special offers on crisps, sweets and fizzy drinks, which encouraged cashstrapped shoppers to pursue a poor diet.
The Conservative MP said the Government’s Responsibility Deal – which sees firms encouraged to sign voluntary agreements to improve public health – had failed.
Regulation was now needed to force stores to offer discounts on fruit and vegetables, she added. Dr Wollaston, a former GP, has vowed to use her election to the health committee to challenge ‘all the crap from [lobbyists], big alcohol and junk food industry’.
She told MailOnline: ‘The level of obesity is double in the most disadvantaged households. It is not just about the fact you are more likely to die earlier. You are more likely to spend more years with a disability. The cost of all of this is spiralling out of control.’
She added: ‘One of the reasons why the most disadvantaged people are running into difficulties is
‘We need the State to step in’
partly because the healthy food is more expensive.
‘If you are struggling on a budget, you are much more likely to pick food on special offers. But all of the special offers tend to be on crisps, sweets and junk food.
‘The junk-food industry is not going to do this voluntarily because they worry about the other manu- facturer down the road. The industry says it needs regulation.’
Dr Wollaston admitted that if someone wants to lead an unhealthy lifestyle, then ‘of course that’s entirely up to them’. However, she suggested the Government should intervene, with new regulations if necessary, to make it harder for people to buy junk food.
She also wants an end to ‘supersize’ deals in fast-food restaurants and cinemas, calories reduced in canteens in schools and hospitals, and a ban on advertising for junk food aimed at children.
Around 10 per cent of children aged between two and ten are classed as obese, rising to almost 19 per cent among 11-to-15-year-olds, 24 per cent of working-age adults and 30 per cent of the over-65s.
Every year obesity costs the NHS more than £5billion, and is linked to 40,000 deaths.
‘No- one should pretend there’s a single thing we can do to wave a magic wand and everyone is suddenly slim and fit,’ Dr Wollaston said. ‘ There is a huge amount of personal responsibility. But it is now so serious we need the State to step in.
‘The choice is, you either do nothing and carry on saying “it’s all down to personal choice”, and you continue to pick up a huge bill through the NHS ... [or] we have to take out junk-food calories and help to get people moving and more active.’ The Department of Health insisted there is ‘no magic bullet to solve the problem’.
A spokesman said the Responsibility Deal was reducing calories in food and drinks ‘to ensure that healthier options are available’.
He added: ‘We also have a voluntary front-of-pack labelling scheme which will help people keep track of what they’re eating and give them the information to make healthier choices.’