Children's Food Campaign 'underwhelmed' by Responsibility Deals

Responding to the Health Secretary’s announcement today of the Responsibility Deals, Charlie Powell, Director of the Children’s Food Campaign said:

“We are underwhelmed by the list of pledges.  They are little more than a continuation of schemes that were being done anyway by the Food Standards Agency – until the Government took away its nutrition remit.

Instead of introducing effective measures to tackle alarming levels of childhood obesity – such as regulation to protect children from junk food marketing – these pledges require little or no extra work on the part of food businesses, which will be delighted by the support they are receiving from the Government.

We urge the Department of Health to ensure that these voluntary commitments are independently monitored and evaluated and to set a timetable for regulation for when - as we expect - they fail to improve public health.  It is an embarrassment for the Government that Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation have joined alcohol health charities in not signing up to the deal.”

Ends

For further information and interviews, please contact Charlie Powell on 0203 5596 777 or charlie@sustainweb.org.

Notes to editors:

1) The Children's Food Campaign wants to improve children's health and well-being through better food - and food teaching - in schools, and protecting children from junk food marketing. We are supported by over 150 national organisations. The Children's Food Campaign is coordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming and funded by the British Heart Foundation. For more information, see http://www.childrensfoodcampaign.org.uk/

2) Information about the Responsibility Deals can be found at:  http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Publichealthresponsibilitydeal/index.htm#jumpTo2

3) The salt targets agreed in the deal have already been set by the Food Standards Agency, see: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2009/may/salttargets

4) Plans for out of home calorie labelling have previously been developed by the Food Standards Agency, see: http://www.food.gov.uk/scotland/scotnut/healthycatering/cateringbusiness/calorie

5) The UK is now the fattest nation in Europe, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11983915

6) Figures from the National Child Measurement Programme for the school year 2009/10 show that the proportion of children in England who are overweight or obese continues to rise.  The number of children who are overweight or obese by the time they reach Year 6 (age 10/11) has reached 33.4%, an increase of 0.8% on the previous year.  See: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ssd/surveys/national_diet_nutrition_survey_children.asp

7) The British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK have stated that they will not sign up to the deal, see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/mar/15/lansley-health-strategy-flounders-refuse?INTCMP=SRCH