Cancer expert calls for ban on junk food offers
NEW laws to curb the sale of junk food are needed now to tackle Scotland’s obesity crisis, a leading expert has warned.
Professor Linda Bauld, of Cancer Research UK, said the Scottish Government must impose a ban on supermarket deals that encourage customers to buy unhealthy food.
A poll by the charity has found that multi-buy offers are largely to blame for people stocking up on items such as crisps, biscuits and sweets.
More than four out of five Scots questioned by Cancer Research UK said that price deals offering extra packs for free were influential in encouraging unhealthy food purchases.
Meanwhile, almost two-thirds of people – the same proportion of Scots adults who are obese or overweight – back restricting price promotions on junk food.
Official figures also show more than a quarter of children are overweight or obese.
Two-thirds of those surveyed were worried about their weight, or the weight of someone in their immediate family, and 83 per cent think Scotland has a problem with obesity.
Professor Bauld, the charity’s cancer prevention expert, said: ‘Obesity is linked to 13 different types of cancer.
‘When we stock our cupboards with cheap chocolate, crisps and biscuits, we are getting far more than we bargained for. Obesity costs us dearly and this survey tells us the public want action.’
She added that for World Cancer Day – next Sunday – the charity hopes ‘politicians will unite to call time on obesity in Scotland’.
She said: ‘In the fight against obesity, laws to restrict the tempting junk food deals that are at the heart of Scotland’s poor diet will be crucial.’
The results of the poll have been published ahead of a debate in the Scottish parliament on Thursday which will highlight obesity as the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: ‘We welcome this research from Cancer Research UK. In a country where the majority of people are overweight, we must be as bold about Scotland’s weight problem as we have been about tobacco and alcohol.
‘We want everyone to have a healthy weight, eat healthily, and enjoy the same healthy life expectancy.
‘Our consultation on ambitious actions, including world-leading plans to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar or salt, closes this week. Making healthy choices is difficult when such food is so heavily promoted.’