Brussels, 14 October 2011 – The UK Government has released plans to work with the food industry to try to reduce the number of calories in the food people eat. In doing so, they have shown themselves to be out of touch with measures being taken elsewhere in Europe.
“The UK simply cannot afford to keep tip-toeing around the food industry and avoiding the elephant in the room. It has some of the worst adult obesity levels in the whole of Europe and yet is coming a poor second in its policy decisions.” Stated Monika Kosińska, Secretary General of EPHA. “Across Europe governments are proposing exciting and ambitious new ways to tackle obesity and finally address the looming chronic disease disaster, while the UK government is showing a gross lack of vision in its new plans for a ‘responsibility deal’.”
Already this year a so called ‘fat-tax’ has come into force in Denmark and similar plans have been discussed in Romania, Ireland, Belgium and France. EPHA – the European Public Health Alliance – Europe’s leading NGO advocating for better health will shortly be releasing its position on Fiscal Measures Applied to Food Policy in which the Alliance highlights the impact that such measures can have on food consumption.
EPHA calls for fiscal measures that would decrease the availability of unhealthy options together with others that would increase the affordability and availability of nutritious food, such as fruits and vegetables, or whole grain cereals, making sure that people replace those unhealthy food stuffs with products which are healthier. ”It was Albert Einstein who said insanity is defined by doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. Asking the food industry to reduce calories through voluntary targets has not worked, and will not work. We cannot expect the industry to take any action if they aren’t obliged to do so by law.” Said Kosińska.
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Note to Editors:
1. EPHA is is the European Platform bringing together public health organisations representing health professionals, patients groups, health promotion and disease specific NGOs, academic groupings and other health associations. Our vision is of a Europe with universal good health and well-being, where all have access to a sustainable and high quality health system : A Europe whose policies and practices contribute to health, both within and beyond its borders.
2. EPHA letters to governments which has proposed food taxes are available on the EPHA website.
– Denmark (‘fat tax’ – introduced)
– France (sweet drink tax)
– Hungary (tax on unhealthy food and drink)
– Romania (tax on unhealthy food)
