IN MY VIEW . . . Our diet is cutting our lives short

WHAT would you rather, a long life or a healthy life? I’d opt for the latter, but some people in the UK spend too much of their life in ill health.

And there are huge variations across the UK — a woman born in Blackpool is expected to live 23 fewer years in good health than one born in Orkney.

While clearly income, housing and education can affect the number of healthy years lived, another major factor is diet, and the shift to ‘subsistence living’ on highly processed snacks and meals overloaded with sugar and salt.

I was shocked to see a scientist speaking on behalf of the Food and Drink Federation boasting that the industry had cut salt levels by 16 per cent in the past five years, and that companies are investing in new methods to reduce levels without compromising product safety.

Leaving levels where they are now is, in itself, compromising food safety. Until we tackle the fact that too much of our diet involves a blend of highly processed ingredients that offer little in the way of nutrition, bar calories, I fear the years we spend in good health will never rise.