ADPH responds to Food Foundation report
The fact that so many of our children are eating a diet high in fat, salt and sugar is not down to individual choice. Instead, it is a result of clever marketing techniques being used by an industry that is seeking to make a profit from selling food that we know causes harm.
Sarah Muckle
ADPH Policy Lead for Children and Young People
Today, the Food Foundation have published a new report which reveals obesity among ten to 11 year olds has risen by 30% since 2006. The report has also found that type 2 diabetes among under 25s has increased by 22% over the last five years, and that babies born today will enjoy a year less good health than babies born a decade ago.
Responding to the report, ‘A Neglected Generation: Reversing the decline in children’s health’, Sarah Muckle, our lead spokesperson for Children and Young People and DPH for Bradford, said:
“Today’s report is yet more evidence that our children are not getting the best start in life. All children have the right to – and benefit from – happy, healthy childhoods, and a crucial part of that is having access to affordable, healthy food.
“Not only will having a good diet support their health and wellbeing now, enabling them to fully engage at school, but will also help them develop healthy eating habits for the future and reduce the risk of developing long-term preventable disease associated with obesity and poor diets such as type 2 diabetes. This is important not just for individuals, but for creating healthy communities and ultimately, for the economy as a whole.
“We are particularly pleased to see that this report shines a light on the commercial determinants of our health. The fact that so many of our children are eating a diet high in fat, salt and sugar is not down to individual choice. Instead, it is a result of clever marketing techniques being used by an industry that is seeking to make a profit from selling food that we know causes harm.
“As we said in our evidence to the House of Lords Inquiry into Diet, Food and Obesity, the Government – whoever that will be – must introduce policies which reduce the affordability and accessibility of these products by restricting marketing and promotion of unhealthy products. At the same time, we need mandatory reformulation to reduce the fat, salt and sugar content of food. These measures, alongside local interventions already being promoted by Directors of Public Health and their teams, are absolutely key to reversing the alarming trends we are seeing in our children’s declining health, and for ensuring the health of future generations.”