I read with interest your editorial on the failures in obesity management in the UK (4 April). I would suggest that the problem is wider than the scope addressed. Obesity is not simply correlated with poverty. In children, it is almost exclusively a disease of poverty. We simply do not see affluent children suffering in this way. Given that the rates in children are already higher than in adults and climbing, this must be addressed to prevent a social and economic tragedy in the future.
The magic bullet problem is not restricted to jabs and pills. Obesity surgery – taking away the patient’s free will to compel them to eat a severely calorie restricted diet via surgical ablation of parts of the gastrointestinal tract – is an objectively monstrous intervention and yet has slipped under the ethical radar and is widely accepted because, to some degree, it can work (with many, many caveats).
The US, with its myriad societal problems leading to an even greater obesity problem than the rest of the world, is now leading the charge with multiple professional associations trumpeting the need for an urgent rollout of obesity surgery for adolescents and children. There appears to be no recognition of the societal crisis in the US at the root of this.
John Atkinson
Hauraki, Auckland, New Zealand
• It is right to highlight the need to tackle obesity, and why disadvantaged communities are impacted the most. But with successive governments trying and failing to solve the problem through a myriad of measures, the question remains – is it fair to blame food and drink businesses?
Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector and one of the most regulated in the world. We recognise the important role we play in improving the nation’s health. More vegetables in sauces and a reduction in sugar in breakfast cereals are just some of the ways that food companies have played their part.
Kantar data published this week shows that we are making significant progress. Food and Drink Federation member products contribute 13% fewer calories, 15% fewer sugars and 24% less salt to the average shopping basket than they did eight years ago. Reformulation is no mean feat. Technical expertise and investment are needed to get the recipe right. It is a huge challenge.
We strongly believe that changing diets is not just about cutting down. The scientific evidence agrees that increasing whole grains, fruit, nuts, seeds and fibre is key to reducing our risk of disease. We need a holistic approach to tackling obesity, not just focusing on what people need to cut down on, but also what should be increased.
During the cost of living crisis, it is vital that we do not add to food prices and disproportionately impact those who are struggling the most. Joined up action by industry, government and wider society is needed. With food and drink manufacturing sites across the UK, and nearly half a million employees in our workforce, companies are well placed to work with communities to ensure action is locally relevant and effective. We stand ready to make this happen.
Kate Halliwell
Chief scientific officer, Food and Drink Federation
• The government is in thrall to supermarkets and does nothing about the rubbish they make us buy; it doesn’t do enough to promote exercise and what we could all be doing to keep us from ending up frail and in hospital. Henry Dimbleby – the government’s former food tsar who is now a critic of its policies – should team up with Prof Tim Spector, who is doing so much to publicise the perils of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and how by just tweaking our diet we can really improve our health. A can of kidney beans is much cheaper than red meat and so much healthier for us and the planet, but this is never mentioned by the government.
Being poor and living in a food desert must be a nightmare. Also, with every parent being forced out to work, when are they going to have time to cook from scratch as our mothers used to? It’s no surprise they reach for the UPFs. Finally, when I think of the sheds with 12,000 chickens or 1,000 pigs on concrete slats, all so the supermarkets can deliver cheap meat, I want to weep. So, Mr Dimbleby, please keep holding the government and the supermarkets to account.
Fiona Morgan
Corton Denham, Somerset
• Re your editorial on obesity, I recently visited our local leisure centre (run by the local authority) to enquire about membership. Individual classes cost £6.85, or you can buy monthly membership for £39 (or £70 for a couple). There are concessions for those on benefits, but none for pensioners or those on lower incomes.
This means that using the facilities is prohibitively expensive for a large percentage of the population, assuming they can afford to travel to the leisure centre to use the facilities. If the government is serious about tackling obesity, surely these services should be subsidised to make them more accessible for all.
Julie Box
Crediton, Devon
• My children’s home economics experience at school was to design a pizza box. Mass education in the preparation of simple, healthy fresh meals is vital. Jamie Oliver, among others, has led the way. Modern home economics – practical as well as theoretical skills – for all children from eight to 18 should be compulsory if we are not to destroy the physical and mental health of society. It is as serious as that.
Alix Dearing
Kenilworth, Warwickshire
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