Two-thirds of the UK population are either overweight or obese – a crisis that costs billions each year in healthcare and lost productivity. Yet, in a 2021 review of nearly 700 obesity-related policies in England, researchers at the University of Cambridge found no evidence they had successfully reduced obesity. A House of Lords committee last month declared there had been an “utter failure to tackle this crisis”. It suggested an ambitious strategy to “fix our broken food system”.
The Lords committee wants the UK government to adopt a series of recommendations, including requiring businesses to report the percentage of healthy foods they offer, imposing taxes on salt and sugar, banning the advertising of unhealthy foods, and improving maternal and infant nutrition.
