Do let them eat cake!

PM rebuffs tsar who said work treats are ‘harmful’

Downing Street has rejected claims from Britain’s top food tsar that bringing cake into the office can be as harmful as passive smoking.

Food Standards Agency chairman Professor Susan Jebb sparked a row on Tuesday after suggesting that staff should not tempt colleagues by bringing in baked goods.

The ‘impact of the environment’ can override the personal willpower required to avoid eating unhealthy treats, she said, as Britain tries to reduce its collective waistline. But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes ‘personal choice should be baked into our approach’, according to his official spokesman.

They added: ‘we want to encourage healthy lifestyles and are taking action to tackle obesity, which has cost the nHS £6 billion annually. However, the way to deal with this issue is not to stop people from occasionally bringing in treats for their co-workers.’

Mr Sunak’s press secretary said Professor Jebb’s comments were made in a ‘personal capacity’ and do not reflect the views of government, adding that the premier is ‘very partial to a piece of cake’ with his favourites being carrot, and red velvet cake.

Professor Jebb, who teaches diet and population health at oxford University, told The Times: ‘ if nobody brought in cakes into the office, i would not eat cakes in the day, but because people do bring cakes in, i eat them.

‘now, okay, i have made a choice, but people were making a choice to go into a smoky pub. with smoking, after a very long time, we have got to a place where we understand that individuals have to make some effort but that we can make their efforts more successful by having a supportive environment. But we still don’t feel like that about food.’

She also slammed ministers for delaying a ban on advertising junk food on television before the 9pm watershed until 2025.

‘we have listened carefully to the concerns raised by advertisers, broadcasters and regulators about the importance of having sufficient time with these documents to fully prepare and restructure their advertising,’ a written statement from the Department of Health said last month.

But Professor Jebb argued that junk food advertising was ‘undermining people’s free will’.