House of Lords Calls for Urgent Food System Reforms

Addiction Economy thought for Today - couldn't agree more with the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee in a new report launched today -

(Seem to have given exclusive to Times behind paywall, so here on Committee website). Congrats to Baroness Walmsley and committee. Interested in response of Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP

* Make large food businesses report on the healthiness of their sales and exclude businesses that derive more than a defined share of sales from less healthy products from any discussions on the formation of policy on food, diet and obesity prevention.

* Give the Food Standards Agency (FSA) independent oversight of the food system.

* Introduce a salt and sugar reformulation tax on food manufacturers, building on the success of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. The Government should consider how to use the revenue to make healthier food cheaper, particularly for people living with food insecurity.

* Ban the advertising of less healthy food across all media by the end of this Parliament, following the planned 9pm watershed and ban on paid-for online advertising in October 2025.

* Commission further research into the links between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and adverse health outcomes and review dietary guidelines to reflect any new evidence. The rapidly growing body of epidemiological evidence showing correlation between consumption of UPFs and poor health outcomes is alarming. Beyond energy and nutrient content, causal links between other properties of UPFs and poor health outcomes have not at the present time been clearly demonstrated. To understand any links, more research is needed.

* Immediately develop an ambitious strategy for maternal and infant nutrition and drive up compliance with the school food standards. This will help break the vicious cycle by which children living with obesity are five times more likely to become adults with obesity.

* Enable auto-enrolment for Healthy Start and free school meals and review the costs and benefits to public health of increasing funding and widening eligibility for both schemes. This is essential to help families living in poverty afford healthy food and to begin closing the gaping inequalities in unhealthy diets and obesity rates.