MULHOLLAND DEMANDS TOUGH ACTION TO TACKLE CHILDHOOD OBESITY
July 20, 2005 12:00 AM
Greg Mulholland, Member of Parliament for Leeds North West, has added his support to a campaign to resolve the crisis in children's diet-related health.
The Health Survey for England found that obesity in the under 11s rose from 9.9% to 13.7% between 1995 and 2003 and so the Children's Food Bill, which this campaign backs, seeks to encourage healthy eating among children, thus reducing health inequalities as well as combating childhood obesity among many other diet-related illnesses.
This Bill would place a duty on the Food Standards Agency to specify criteria for food and drink to be deemed detrimental to children's health. Based on these criteria, regulations would be introduced to prohibit marketing of unhealthy food specifically to children and a duty placed on Government and the FSA to promote healthy eating to children.
Commenting, Greg said:
"Although the Government has begun to address some of the problems with school meals, children's health still faces a 'diet time bomb'.
"Childhood obesity is on the increase and children are being targeted by advertising for high fat, high salt and high sugar foods. Furthermore, children are often not being provided with the skills and information to choose a healthier diet for themselves.
"If we are to protect our children from the ill-effects of poor diet, further action is essential."
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