The UK government’s plan to tackle obesity has faced delays and now it has been pushed back to October 2025. This indefinite postponement has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the measure. Notably, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver protested outside Downing Street against the delay. On the other hand, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has emphasized that the delay will provide greater choice for consumers during a cost-of-living crisis, as food inflation rates continue to rise. However, the drawbacks of this delay to the nation’s health should not be ignored.
Katharine Jenner, Director of the Obesity Health Alliance, warns that if preventative measures are not implemented, obesity rates will continue to rise. The costs to the NHS are already forecasted to increase from £6bn (€7.03) to £9.7bn by 2050. Nevertheless, Hattie Burt, Senior Policy and International Projects Officer at campaign group Action on Salt, argues that the delay would not negatively impact the cost of living. She explains that the government’s own data shows that multi-buy promotions on unhealthy food lead people to spend 20% more than intended, particularly on higher sugar products. By eliminating such promotions, consumers would have more money to spend on healthier alternatives. Moreover, it would encourage food and drink companies to focus their marketing tactics on promoting healthier products.
Burt further suggests that the government’s obesity strategy highlights the harmful effects of the delay. By combining evidence-based policies, including location restrictions and delayed advertising restrictions, with the ban on price promotions for unhealthy products, individuals would have a better chance of maintaining a healthy diet and reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The proposed ban on multi-buy offers for unhealthy food is a groundbreaking measure, potentially making the UK one of the first countries globally to implement such restrictions. This is justified by the fact that 40% of total food and drink spending in Britain is attributed to products on promotion, compared to only 20% in other European countries like Germany, France, and Spain. While other countries, such as Chile, have successfully introduced restrictions on junk food advertising to reduce childhood obesity, the UK’s approach focuses on price promotions.
Chile’s regulation not only limited children’s exposure to junk-food advertising but also targeted specific products high in energy, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. By banning high-in advertisements during children’s programs and those with child-directed marketing, Chile significantly reduced weekly high-in ads by 64%. Although some child-directed appeals continued to exist, the overall success of the regulation in reducing children’s exposure to high-in advertising cannot be denied.
To effectively implement junk food regulation in Europe, several measures need to be taken. Campaigners argue that special offers should be directed towards healthier food that aligns with people’s shopping lists, rather than promoting unhealthy food they didn’t intend to purchase. Additionally, supermarkets and multinational food manufacturers should be urged to make healthy food more affordable. The government could also automatically enroll eligible families in the NHS Healthy Start Scheme, granting access to healthy fruit, vegetables, milk, and vitamins for those who need it most. By implementing restrictions on the advertising of unhealthy food and drink before 9pm on TV and online, and by regulating the levels of salt, sugar, and saturated fat in food and drinks, the government can effectively tackle the issue of unhealthy eating and its associated health problems.
In conclusion, the UK government’s delay in implementing measures to address obesity has drawn criticism and raised concerns about its effectiveness. While some argue that the delay offers consumers greater choice during a cost-of-living crisis, the potential negative impact on the nation’s health should not be ignored. It is crucial to consider evidence-based policies and learn from successful regulations in other countries, like Chile. By focusing on alternative promotional strategies for healthier food and making it more affordable, the government can take meaningful steps towards reducing obesity and improving public health.