Cost of people being overweight in UK now £98bn, study finds

Britons spent more on confectionery (£3.9bn a year) than fruit and vegetables (£2.2bn), a former government adviser said. Photograph: RubberBall/Alamy

Britain’s weight problem costs almost £100bn a year, analysis suggests, prompting calls for a government crackdown on unhealthy food and a drive to promote fresh ingredients.

The spiralling cost shows that the growing prevalence of people being overweight is “an absolute public health disaster”, said Henry Dimbleby, the government’s former adviser on food.