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18/02/2013
Doctors Warn Of Epidemic As They Call For Tax On Fizzy Drinks
In a call to action over obesity, doctors are pushing for a heavy tax on fizzy drinks and for junk food TV ads to be banned until the watershed.
Describing the UKs ballooning waistlines as a "huge crisis", the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents nearly every doctor in the UK, said its report showed current measures were failing and called for unhealthy foods to be treated more like cigarettes.
However, industry leaders criticised the report, saying it added little to the debate on obesity.
The UK is one of the most obese nations in the world with about a quarter of adults classed as obese. That figure is predicted to double by 2050 - a third of primary school leavers are already overweight.
Some of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges recommendations include:
• A ban on advertising foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt
before 9pm
• Further taxes on sugary drinks to increase prices by at least 20%
• A reduction in fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres
• A £100m budget for interventions such as weight-loss surgery
• No junk food or vending machines in hospitals, where all food
must meet the same nutritional standards as in schools
• Food labels to include calorie information for children
(H/GK)
Describing the UKs ballooning waistlines as a "huge crisis", the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents nearly every doctor in the UK, said its report showed current measures were failing and called for unhealthy foods to be treated more like cigarettes.
However, industry leaders criticised the report, saying it added little to the debate on obesity.
The UK is one of the most obese nations in the world with about a quarter of adults classed as obese. That figure is predicted to double by 2050 - a third of primary school leavers are already overweight.
Some of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges recommendations include:
• A ban on advertising foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt
before 9pm
• Further taxes on sugary drinks to increase prices by at least 20%
• A reduction in fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres
• A £100m budget for interventions such as weight-loss surgery
• No junk food or vending machines in hospitals, where all food
must meet the same nutritional standards as in schools
• Food labels to include calorie information for children
(H/GK)
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