More control on junk food needed
Posted by Alan | Under Healthy Eating Friday Jun 25, 2010
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has decided that the government has the ability to save around forty thousand lives and millions of pounds if more regulations were placed on the junk food industry.
Some suggestions include offering shoppers better labeling on fat, salt, and sugar in processed foods, controlling advertising of junk food to children, and eliminating trans fat during food manufacturing.
However, the news has come too late as the coalition government has placed public health and food on the back burner and it seems that now every positive argument would be met with those claiming its restriction of freedom.
Treasury estimates that every year health service costs from disease caused by diet have increased up to £6b yearly and are continuing to skyrocket. This estimate was ten years ago, which paints a picture for how it may look today.
The simple truth in terms of NHS spending is that the government could save large amounts if strokes, cancers, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease were prevented by correcting diets instead of waiting until their health effects were already manifest.
However, efforts by nice which is responsible for offering guidance to the NHS in terms of spending, was told by the Department of Health that it has overstepped its bounds and that eating healthy is still fundamentally a personal choice.
The Food Standards Agency is also likely going to have to take a back seat as well son after angering the junk food industry by mandating clear names for salts and fats on packages and its role has already been shifted towards the Department of Health.
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