Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Scientists comment on a report by the House of Lords Food Diet and Obesity Committee.
Dr Nerys Astbury, Associate Professor – Diet & Obesity, Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, University of Oxford, said:
“The House of Lords report concludes that obesity and diet-related disease are a public health emergency. Whilst it’s great to have this acknowledged publicly by such a high-profile report, many, including those of us who work on diet and obesity research believe that this is already well established. However, what is needed are immediate, specific, and measurable actions which have the potential to reduce obesity and diet related disease rates which contribute to ill health and have significant impact on the wider economy.
“The report highlights that between 1992 and 2020, almost 700 policies were proposed by successive governments to tackle obesity in England. Yet the prevalence of obesity continues to rise, as do the rates of many diseases associated with obesity including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain obesity-related cancers.
“Whilst the report goes some way to suggest several key actions which have the potential to help reduce obesity rates and prevent other diet related diseases, time and political will are needed to envisage these changes. Some of these policies suggested may be unpopular, and there will likely be resistance to making some of these changes, particularly from the food industry who try to resist policies which could impact their profit margins.”
Prof Alex Johnstone, Theme Lead for Nutrition, Obesity and Disease at the Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, said:
“I welcome this report from the House Of Lords and the ethos to support preventative strategies as part of healthy weight management in the UK. Our own research on Transforming the UK Food System (TUKFS), funded by UKRI, on food insecurity and obesity, with focus on the retail food sector, supports the priority actions identified, which include strengthening policy and mandatory reporting. As an academic, I particularly welcome opportunity for future funding for more mechanistic research on ultra processed foods impact on health. The food system is complex and encompasses farm to fork, and we should not miss the lived experience of those with obesity. These measures are only the first step to move towards access to healthy and sustainable food for all to reduce the dietary health inequalities in the UK.
“The consultation was wide ranging and actively sought evidence from a wide range of food system stakeholders. I submitted written evidence, both as an individual academic https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/130634/pdf/as and as part of a UKRI Transforming UK Food Systems research team https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/130616/pdf/. This process was extensive; the report is transparent, with transcripts of oral evidence also provided. The report does appear to be evidence based, with a balance of actions which also identify knowledge gaps, for example, more funding for more research on UPF, where the evidence is less clear. The actions prioritise changing our food system, or food environment, which is welcome. I would have liked to see more mention of the lived experience from people living with obesity being cited as evidence, and more direct actions on reducing food insecurity for people living with obesity. I would have also liked to see some evidence on how we communicate about overweight and obesity, there is evidence on changing the narrative from body weight to a healthy weight (https://publichealthscotland.scot/news/2023/march/improving-how-we-communicate-about-health-and-obesity-in-scotland/).”
Dr Katie Dalrymple, Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences, King’s College London, said:
“The obesity epidemic presents a major challenge for public health across all stages of the life course. Without effective and evidence-based interventions we will not see a reduction in obesity rates in our lifetime. Those at particular risk of developing obesity are children and young people. The report has highlighted the importance of preconception health of the mother as well as crucial role of the infant and early childhood diet and how they influence food choices. Early years settings and primary schools also offer an opportunity to support children in accessing health food choices. I hope the outcomes of this report result in tangible and effective interventions across this important stage of the lifecourse.”
‘House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Report of Session 2024-25, Recipe for health: a plan to fix our broken food system’ was published at 00:01 UK time on Thursday 24 October 2024.
Declared interests
Dr Nerys Astbury: “No conflicts.”
Prof Alex Johnstone: “Current Association for the Study of Obesity Scotland Chair (https://aso.org.uk/scotlandand), has a voluntary position with the British Nutrition Foundation Advisory Group (https://www.nutrition.org.uk/news/prof-alex-johnstone-to-join-british-nutrition-foundation-advisory-committee/). She leads a TUKFS- Transforming UK Food System- FIO Food grant (Food Insecurity in people living with obesity, https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/research/fio-food/index.php).”
Dr Katie Dalrymple: “I have a COI, I worked for Danone Nutricia for 4 years from 2012-2016. This is on my bio on the KCL website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/kathryn-dalrymple.”