Obesity has become a national risk to health
So, the chief medical officer in England, Professor Dame Sally Davies released her annual report recently and opened with a most prolific point, a very bold and profound statement.
“Tackling obesity in the whole population is an accepted public health priority. However, I advocate recognising obesity at the levelof a “national risk”. I congratulate all those committed to tackling obesity and improving weight management (at both professional and personal levels) and I look forward to seeing government action through 2016 to tackle obesity.”
You can read the full report here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/484383/cmo-report-2014.pdf
Dame Sally goes on to say that the food industry needs to do more, or it should face a sugar tax.
But, is this the solution – No. And here’s why… take cigarettes, alcohol, fuel. Increasing the tax doesn’t stop people using these products at all, and food is exactly the same. All increasing tax does is create resentment between the general population and the government.
The way forward to tackle this most powerful disease, obesity is through increasing prices of ‘high sugar foods’, but through educating people.
Nelson Mandela, said it best.. ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’
And it’s true, for the government to make any real progress in 2016, education will be tool, not taxation.
Education of food marketing, food labelling, calorie density, the dangers of obesity and so on, whichever aspect is approached, it’s about education.