A Tory councillor says a lot of NHS staff in his area are 'carrying a lot of weight' which is an indication of a nutrition problem among the wider population. Conservative Coun Michael Whetton admitted to his own weight control issues during a discussion over an health annual report.
At a meeting of the Trafford Council health and wellbeing board the group's chair, Labour Coun Jane Slater, said many NHS staff were having to rely on food banks, where nutritional quality may not be as high, the MEN reports. The report from Trafford director of public health Eleanor Roaf also reveled more than 12,000 households in the Manchester borough are in fuel poverty this winter and are at risk of hypothermia, respiratory diseases and worsening mental healt
Coun Whetton said: "I don't need to declare an interest in this issue. But I can't help but notice - and I'm probably going to get shot to ribbons for saying this - it's clear that a lot of NHS staff are carrying a lot of weight. So if that's the case, it's clearly a problem in the general population."
Commenting on the offerings at foodbanks, Coun Slater said: "It's beans and bread."
Ms Roaf said that the war in Ukraine has led to shortages of both fuel and food, leading to increased costs of both. “Trafford families have been very welcoming, with many people opening their homes to refugees, but finding longer-term housing for refugees, wherever they are from is a pressing issue,” said the report.
She added: “This is exacerbated by the huge divide in our housing sector, with many people in expensive, insecure, and poor quality rented accommodation.” She said young people are particularly affected by this, and those without parental support are finding it challenging to raise the money for a housing deposit.
Ms Roaf that ‘food insecurity’ was impacting health and well-being in Trafford. “Healthy food is generally more expensive than highly processed food and increases in energy costs will make it more likely that families will be forced into eating cheaper lower quality foods,” she said.
“In Trafford, people living in more disadvantaged communities were already experiencing difficulties in accessing and affording food for a balanced diet before increases in the costs of living. Food insecurity is linked with malnutrition and obesity, as well as poor mental and physical health and wellbeing, so if we fail to tackle food insecurity, we are going to see a huge increase in demand for health and social services.”
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In September 2022 in Greater Manchester, 42 per cent of people were experiencing food insecurity, with 56 per cent of households with children and 34 per cent without children struggling.
“Children in the most deprived communities in Trafford are already significantly more likely to be overweight or living with obesity than those better off,” Ms Road said feedback from local charities highlights that the demand for food support is increasing, both from food pantries and foodbanks, with the additional challenges of energy costs for cooking.
“While this type of food support is necessary, it is a short-term remedy that does not address the causes of poverty and food insecurity," she added.
