News • Children's Food Campaign
Sustain & Children's Food Campaign Response to Health & Social Care Select Committee
Parliament's Health and Social Care Committee has published a new inquiry report on Childhood Obesity, calling for better government leadership and a range of measures to curb junk food marketing. Sustain & Children's Food Campaign respond.
In response to the Health and Social Care Select Committee report on Childhood Obesity, due to be published on Wednesday 30 May:
Barbara Crowther, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, says:
“We welcome the recognition given by the Committee to not just a 9pm advertising watershed but the many other powerful forms of junk food marketing such as the pervasive use of children’s film, TV and cartoon characters preferences to sell sugary products, which is something parents are telling us very strongly has a powerful effect on their children’s preferences. We’re delighted the committee has also called on the government to stop junk food companies creating false healthy impressions through sports sponsorships – this could be a straightforward goal for the Government in terms of measures to include in Chapter 2 of the new Obesity Plan.”
Vicki Hird, from Sustain, the alliance for food and farming, says:
“It’s very welcome to see the Committee’s recognition that child obesity is not just a matter for the Department of Health. We’ve been calling on Defra to put public health at the heart of future food and farming policy, and ensure it is seen as a public good in any post-Brexit trade negotiations. We fully support the Committee’s recommendation to Government to “ensure that future trade deals do not negatively impact on childhood obesity by worsening the obesogenic environment”, and as a priority the Department for International Trade should set high standards for healthy food as a pre-requisite for any future deals.”
Notes to editors:
- The Children’s Food Campaign and Sustain’s joint written evidence to the Health Select Committee, which called more ambitious Government leadership and coordination, including trade policy and a range of measures to curb junk food marketing, is here
- Information regarding the Children’s Food Campaign current Parents’ Jury Survey is here
- Sustain’s call for public health to be seen as a public good in food, farming and future trade negotiations is here
- To interview Sustain or the Children’s Food Campaign, call 0203 5596 777 or email barbara@sustainweb.org (or call 07753 837945) or vicki@sustainweb.org
Published Wednesday 30 May 2018
Children's Food Campaign: Better food and food teaching for children in schools, and protection of children from junk food marketing are the aims of Sustain's high-profile Children's Food Campaign. We also want clear food labelling that can be understood by everyone, including children.
