Obesity

Jamie George was sentence to more than three years in prison for selling potentially fatal diet pills. Image: Getty/ Moussa81

News

Deadly diet pill jail sentence welcomed by FSS

By Gwen Ridler

Jamie George (32) of Denny, Scotland has been sentenced to jail for supplying potentially fatal ‘diet pills’ to members of the public, a landmark case for Food Standards Scotland’s (FFS’s) crime unit.

The Government has pushed back the propsosed ban on junk food ads before 9pm on TV and online until 2025

Government delays junk food ad ban

By Gwen Ridler

The UK government’s plan to push back its proposed ban on junk food adverts before 9pm on TV and online has been met by backlash from health bodies and industry pressure groups.

Tate & Lyle will provide insight on Rowett Institute's new study

New research to improve understanding of the UK food system

By Gwen Ridler

The University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute has been awarded £1.6m to fund new research into improving the understanding of the UK food system and help people experiencing food insecurity and living with obesity make healthier, more sustainable food...

Intakes of added and free sugar should stay as low as possible, according to EFSA

Sugar intake levels in line with current recommendations

By Gwen Ridler

Intakes of added and free sugar should be as low as possible – in line with current recommendations – for a nutritionally adequate diet, according to a new report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Calls for more obesity action

Sector pressed on obesity and healthy eating cost

By Michelle Perrett

The root causes of obesity lie in the food sector and the Government needs to invest in food innovation and reformulations that are affordable, a report by think tank Demos has revealed.

Food firms could be forced to adapt to the Government's new childhood obesity strategy by their stakeholders

Manufacturers to adapt to obesity policy or be forced to

By Gwen Ridler

Food manufacturers must quickly adapt to the Government’s plans to curb childhood obesity or risk being forced to by their investors and stakeholders, according to a report from investment charity Share Action.

Reaction to the Government plans have been mixed.

Reaction mixed to obesity strategy

By Michelle Perrett

There was mixed reaction from the industry to the Government plans to fight obesity, which were released on 27 July.

Evidence grows on reversing type 2 diabetes by sustained weight loss

Dietary evidence for diabetes reversal

By Rick Pendrous

Evidence has emerged and more is expected over the next few months to prove that dietary changes using low and very low energy diets in the initial stages of clinical interventions can be used to reverse type 2 diabetes and then sustain it in patients.

A high body mass index is the fourth-largest contributor to the loss of healthy life, the study has found

Poor diet linked to one-in-five global deaths

By Noli Dinkovski

Almost one-in-five deaths globally can be attributed to a poor diet, a major study involving more than 2,500 collaborators from 130 countries has revealed.

Sustainable and healthy food systems needed

Opinion

Sustainable and healthy food systems needed

By Rick Pendrous

Some of the world’s biggest food manufacturers and retailers have agreed to simplify food date labels by 2020 in an attempt to reduce the vast quantities of food that is unnecessarily wasted each year.

The government focused on calorie reduction in the next phase of its childhood obesity plan

Food industry ‘ready for calorie-reduction challenge’

By Matt Atherton

The food and drink industry will rise to the challenge of helping to reduce children’s calorie intake, says the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), as the government launches the next stage of its childhood obesity plan.

Satiety could be improved by increasing calcium in the diet, say researchers

Calcium can help solve obesity crisis

By Matt Atherton

Increasing calcium in our diets could reduce the prevalence of obesity, by “mimicking the effect of bariatric [weight loss] surgery” and suppressing appetite, a dairy scientist has claimed.

Obesity rates in reception age children has increased since 2014/2015

Child obesity rates continue to rise

By Noli Dinkovski

Childhood obesity levels are continuing to increase in the UK, with rates for children living in the most deprived areas more than double those living in affluent boroughs, a national survey has found.

A third of children are obese or overweight when they leave primary school

Obesity strategy is badly ‘flawed’ claim critics

By Rick Pendrous

The government’s much delayed childhood obesity strategy, published today (August 18) by the Department of Health, has received a mixed response from health lobby groups and the food industry alike, with neither side feeling it provides a truly holistic...

A coalition of businesses leaders, led by the BSDA, is campaigning to block the UK sugar tax on soft drinks

Coalition formed to block UK sugar tax

By Gwen Ridler

Business leaders in the food and drink industry have formed a coalition to oppose the UK soft drinks tax, following a report that claimed the tax would place 4,000 jobs at risk and wipe £132M from the economy.

Not so sweet: lobbying by food and drink firms had delayed UK obesity strategy, claimed the AoS

Food and drink industry ‘delaying’ UK obesity plans

By Gwen Ridler

Food and drink manufacturers have “delayed and eroded” government plans to tackle obesity, claimed the lobby group Action on Sugar (AoS), after the publication of a new report by the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA).

The soft drinks sugar tax could cost Coca-Cola £226M a year

Coca-Cola could face £226M sugar tax

By Gwen Ridler

The Coca-Cola Company could face a bill as high as £226M a year under the sugar tax, if it doesn’t pass on the increased charge for its sugary drinks to consumers, according to market research firm Euromonitor.

Taxing sugary drinks would cut obesity, according to a new, disputed report

Sugary drink obesity claims slammed by industry

By Michael Stones

The soft drink industry has slammed claims that a 20% tax on sugary drinks would cut UK obesity rates by 5% within nine years – resulting in 3.7M fewer obese people.

Professor Paul Gately spoke at a childhood obesity conference last week

Sugar ‘obsession’ could skew obesity strategy

By Alice Foster

Britain’s “complete obsession” with sugar could skew the government’s childhood obesity strategy due next month, warns a leading obesity expert, who was dismissive of a sugar tax.

Soft drinks: industry has reduced sugar intake by 7.5% in recent years

Sugary drinks study slammed by food industry

By Noli Dinkovski

A new study that claims reducing the sugar content of sugar-sweetened drinks could prevent 1.5M cases of obesity and overweightness has been dismissed  as “fanciful” and “contrary to the evidence” by the food industry.

The adipose cells of obese people can't cope with more fat: Keith Frayn

Obese people’s adipose cells fail to regulate fat

By Rick Pendrous

Obese people are far less efficient at regulating the fat levels in their body, which puts them at higher risk of contracting cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, according to a leading expert on the human metabolism of fat.

Hard to swallow: two-thirds think taxing sugary drinks would penalise most people who drink responsibly

Sugar tax

Most consumers say ‘No thanks’ to drinks sugar tax

By Michael Stones

More than two-thirds of British adults believe a tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks would: penalise most people who consume soft drinks responsibly, rise each year and lead to taxes on other foods, according to an independent poll commissioned by the...

PM's concern about child obesity

Sugar in the firing line for childhood obesity strategy

By John wood

Campaigners are calling for a sugar reduction programme modelled on the successful salt reduction work of the past few years, as part of the strategy to combat childhood obesity which the government is currently working on.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents thought the overweight should pay more

Poll: Obese should pay more towards NHS

By Nicholas Robinson

The cost of combating Britain’s obesity crises should not be footed by the taxpayer and consumers who overindulge should instead pay more towards the National Health Service (NHS).

Judy Buttriss, director general, British Nutrition Foundation

Childhood obesity plateauing

By Judy Buttriss

Though still unacceptably high, childhood obesity rates appear to be plateauing, suggesting that the focus on nutrition in schools and other settings is finally starting to pay off. But are we missing a trick?

Monster Khaos Energy + Juice was cited as an energy drink containing less sugar

Trade body shuns attack on energy drinks

By Rod Addy

The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) has rejected calls to ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16, claiming they are not promoted to this age group.

Growth rates in childhood obesity slowing - study

Sector not absolved by childhood obesity slowdown

By Nicholas Robinson

A slowdown in childhood obesity growth rates does not absolve the food and drink industry from blame, despite its efforts to reduce the fat, sugar and salt (FSS) content of its products, experts have said.

CCE boss Den Hollander: 'With Life ... no reason we cannot go beyond 50%'

Coke to increase low- and no-calorie options

By Rick Pendrous

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) plans to drive up the proportion of low- or no calorie soft drinks its sells in the UK to well above 50% over the next few years.

Some children's juice drinks contain more sugar than regular Cola

AoS takes another pop at industry

By Nicholas Robinson

Action on Sugar (AoS) has slammed the manufacturers of “seemingly healthy” children’s fruit juices, juice drinks and smoothies, which can often contain more sugar than regular Coca-Cola.

A woman's diet before and during pregnancy is crucial to her baby's health

Maternal diets dictate health of their children

By Rick Pendrous

Women’s diets before and during pregnancy can have a profound effect on the health of their offspring in later life, a leading public health nutritional scientist has revealed.

The UK is viewed as the fat-man of Europe, 2020health claims

AB Sugar-backed report takes tough line on obesity

By Rod Addy

Tougher measures to tackle obesity have been proposed in a report published by 2020health and funded by AB Sugar, including a ban on daytime TV adverts for unhealthy products targeting kids.

Sugar is not the primary cause for the rise in obesity, according to Snowdon

Obesity caused mainly by inactivity, not sugar

By Laurence Gibbons

The rise in obesity in the UK has been primarily caused by a decline in physical activity, not by increased calorie and sugar consumption, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs.

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