Supermarkets targeted in the battle against obesity

[Northerner]

New laws to ban shops from offering special “two for the price of one” deals near supermarket checkouts for food high in sugar, fat or salt are to be introduced in an attempt to ease an obesity crisis that has made the UK the most overweight nation in western Europe.
Ministers will also announce today that they are to consult on introducing a 9pm watershed on television advertising for unhealthy foods after intense pressure from health experts. According to official figures, one in three children in the UK are now obese by the time they leave primary school.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...t-eating-obesity-policy-eating-sugar-salt-fat

 

[mikeyB]

That’s all a bit half hearted. How about banning multi packs of crisps, ‘sharing’ size packs which are anything but, and plastic bags of sweets.

When I was young, these plastic bags of sweets didn’t exist. You went to the sweet shop, looked along the row of big bottles, made your decision and bought by weight, but according to your funds. The only child I knew who was overweight, his dad owned a crisp factory.

 

[Northerner]

That’s all a bit half hearted. How about banning multi packs of crisps, ‘sharing’ size packs which are anything but, and plastic bags of sweets.

When I was young, these plastic bags of sweets didn’t exist. You went to the sweet shop, looked along the row of big bottles, made your decision and bought by weight, but according to your funds. The only child I knew who was overweight, his dad owned a crisp factory.

...or you asked for the 'penny tray' - my usual choice was 4 fruit salads (1d), a banana Arrow bar (1d) and a sherbet dip (1d). That was my 3d spent! 🙂

 

[Lanny]

...or you asked for the 'penny tray' - my usual choice was 4 fruit salads (1d), a banana Arrow bar (1d) and a sherbet dip (1d). That was my 3d spent! 🙂

It was 10p mix.ups in my day! The sweetshop had already sorted little paper bags with 10 1p items in each bag & it was pot luck what you got!

Ahh! Those were days! I don’t know if they still exist! It all seems to be Haribos on the telly ads during the day with adults behaving like children! What’s that all about? 🙄

 

[HOBIE]

When my mates & me went to the shop for some sweet I always got 1/4 of Chopped Pork. No carbs instead of 2 bags of sugar ?

 

[mikeyB]

Haribos are a foreign abomination, like Werthers Originals. Could be a Brexit bonus - they’ll all double in price.🙂

 

[grainger]

How about instead of just not allowing people to buy things we educate people on health, make healthy options more affordable and start the process young - most primary schools offer the kids puddings everyday and half of these are over the recommended sugar limit.
Start children with a healthy diet which focuses on the good things and they won’t crave the crap.
That combined with a bigger emphasis on exercise and removing the ridiculous sit at a desk all day mentality and I think this would make a bigger impact.

 

[Bubbsie]

How about instead of just not allowing people to buy things we educate people on health, make healthy options more affordable and start the process young - most primary schools offer the kids puddings everyday and half of these are over the recommended sugar limit.
Start children with a healthy diet which focuses on the good things and they won’t crave the crap.
That combined with a bigger emphasis on exercise and removing the ridiculous sit at a desk all day mentality and I think this would make a bigger impact.

The most useful suggestion I've seen in response to this whole issue Grainger...perhaps the Government should start listening to parents...instead of pursuing pointless legislation that simply won't work.

 

[mikeyB]

The thought that occurs to me is that the Scottish government have introduced minimum alcohol pricing. It’s immediately stopped multi pack discounts, BOGOF offers, loss leaders, and cheap cider. And it’s not tax - all the extra money goes to the retailers. (They would have screamed otherwise, and resisted the change).

So why not have a minimum sugar price? Not for bags of sugar, but for added or intrinsic sugar in processed food. 20p for every 5g over 15g in drinks? 20p for every 5g in ready made cottage pie? Innocent fruit drinks proclaim no added sugar, but they contain at least as much sugar as full fat coke. You wouldn’t buy them if they were £3.50 a pop. You wouldn’t buy full fat coke for the same reason.

The objections will be mainly that this affects poor people. Well, that’s the idea...

 

[Pine Marten]

Maybe we should go back to a wartime diet - rationing, powdered egg, no bananas, Woolton pie.... although it may have been less about the quality of food available, more about the quantity that people had!

 

[Vince_UK]

The objections will be mainly that this affects poor people. Well, that’s the idea...

I assume by ths generalisation that you believe that only the poor and unfortunate amongst are fat therefore you assume that well-off folks are not overweight.
Oh Dear, another grand generaliation.🙄

 

[Martin Canty]

IMHO the issue is not about regulation & taxation but more about education. The problem is that we have dug such a hole that it will be difficult to get out of it. I suspect food manufacturers love an overweight population so they can sell a never-ending stream of slimming products that don't work. Get people eating "real food".

It is a rare sight, at the supermarket, to see someone with a basket of groceries that I would approve of, but it does happen....

 

[Bubbsie]

IMHO the issue is not about regulation & taxation but more about education. The problem is that we have dug such a hole that it will be difficult to get out of it. I suspect food manufacturers love an overweight population so they can sell a never-ending stream of slimming products that don't work. Get people eating "real food".

It is a rare sight, at the supermarket, to see someone with a basket of groceries that I would approve of, but it does happen....

Absolutely agree Martin...there seems to be a general consensus that is the way to tackle a problem that affects all levels of society...I agree with @Vince_UK it isn't just the poor that need to review their eating habits.

 

[New-journey]

How about instead of just not allowing people to buy things we educate people on health, make healthy options more affordable and start the process young - most primary schools offer the kids puddings everyday and half of these are over the recommended sugar limit.
Start children with a healthy diet which focuses on the good things and they won’t crave the crap.
That combined with a bigger emphasis on exercise and removing the ridiculous sit at a desk all day mentality and I think this would make a bigger impact.

Yes, I so agree. It always seems crazy to expect children to sit all day at desks, and teachimg about healthy eating has to be the way.

 

[grainger]

The most useful suggestion I've seen in response to this whole issue Grainger...perhaps the Government should start listening to parents...instead of pursuing pointless legislation that simply won't work.

We have a petition going in Hertfordshire to change the way the various catering companies work currently. A number of other schools, I believe in Brighton have already made the changes and now offer fruit or yoghurt rather than pudding. I think they get pudding on a Friday.
A few schools in my area have started the walk a mile everyday thing - which is something but to be honest if I could send my son to forest school or similar I would - how can being couped up all day be good. Thankfully the school he’ll be going to full time in September offers forest school once a week for each year and the emphasis on making outside learning more possible is growing so I can only hope and keep pushing to change things.
Unfortunately it all comes down to funding for things like forest schools though.

Educate the parents and in turn they’ll hopefully educate their kids. Don’t get me wrong my eldest eats chocolate and ice cream and I’ve been known to go “easy” when it comes to food some nights etc but he’s never set foot in a McDonald’s and I can’t see why he would and doesn’t know what “sweeties” are yet - I’m sure it won’t be long but right now he picks fruit over chocolate anyway. I eat a lot worse than him!

 

[grainger]

This is the type of thing which I think needs changing rather than making things more expensive!

 

[New-journey]

We have a petition going in Hertfordshire to change the way the various catering companies work currently. A number of other schools, I believe in Brighton have already made the changes and now offer fruit or yoghurt rather than pudding. I think they get pudding on a Friday.
A few schools in my area have started the walk a mile everyday thing - which is something but to be honest if I could send my son to forest school or similar I would - how can being couped up all day be good. Thankfully the school he’ll be going to full time in September offers forest school once a week for each year and the emphasis on making outside learning more possible is growing so I can only hope and keep pushing to change things.
Unfortunately it all comes down to funding for things like forest schools though.

Educate the parents and in turn they’ll hopefully educate their kids. Don’t get me wrong my eldest eats chocolate and ice cream and I’ve been known to go “easy” when it comes to food some nights etc but he’s never set foot in a McDonald’s and I can’t see why he would and doesn’t know what “sweeties” are yet - I’m sure it won’t be long but right now he picks fruit over chocolate anyway. I eat a lot worse than him!

I raised my kids like you do and as young adults they choose healthy food most of the time, all excellent cooks too. I love forest schools, mine were home schooled when they were young and spent most of their young childhood outside. They never went to Mcdonalds until they went to parties with other kids who went there.
The new school sounds good, even one day a week at a forest school can have great impact.

 

[New-journey]

This is the type of thing which I think needs changing rather than making things more expensive!

Agree!

 

[Vince_UK]

We have a petition going in Hertfordshire to change the way the various catering companies work currently. A number of other schools, I believe in Brighton have already made the changes and now offer fruit or yoghurt rather than pudding. I think they get pudding on a Friday.
A few schools in my area have started the walk a mile everyday thing - which is something but to be honest if I could send my son to forest school or similar I would - how can being couped up all day be good. Thankfully the school he’ll be going to full time in September offers forest school once a week for each year and the emphasis on making outside learning more possible is growing so I can only hope and keep pushing to change things.
Unfortunately it all comes down to funding for things like forest schools though.

Educate the parents and in turn they’ll hopefully educate their kids. Don’t get me wrong my eldest eats chocolate and ice cream and I’ve been known to go “easy” when it comes to food some nights etc but he’s never set foot in a McDonald’s and I can’t see why he would and doesn’t know what “sweeties” are yet - I’m sure it won’t be long but right now he picks fruit over chocolate anyway. I eat a lot worse than him!

This is the type of thing which I think needs changing rather than making things more expensive!

The best posts I have ever seen on this subject.
Education over Taxation is the way, and it starts with parents,many of who, I would assume, are as ignorant of the effects of sugars and carbs as I was up until September of last year when I was diagnosed.
We shouldn't pillory people poor or otherwise because they lack the knowledge but we show them the facts, educate that there are much better alternatives and make these alternatives readily available. They then need support and guidance.
It is a long learning process and will not happen overnight.

 

[grainger]

I’d just like to mention I can’t take credit for any of the things happening in my town but some of the more organised incredible mums have started these pages and push awareness.

If we all do a little then in the end I’d hope a lot will change.