Almost one in three children (29%) in Scotland are at risk of being overweight, and 14% at risk of being obese. Altogether, 9 in 10 Scottish people believe obesity is a serious problem.
The Scottish Government has announced a bold and ambitious target to halve child obesity by 2030, in a new Healthy Weight and Diet Plan to be launched in Summer 2018.
And Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced an intention to wage war on junk food marketing as part of the measures to be introduced, including clamping down on price promotions such as multi-buy, that encourage over-purchase and overconsumption.
The pledges come following an extensive consultation by the Scottish Government earlier this year, with Sustain and the Children’s Food Campaign amongst those arguing for tighter restrictions on junk food marketing, and extensions of planning permissions to restrict new unhealthy hot food takeaways in the close vicinity of schools. The responses to the consultation "A Healthier Future", now published by the Scottish Government, overwhelmingly backed further action to restrict junk food marketing.
Welcoming the new pledges, Barbara Crowther of the Children’s Food Campaign says, “We applaud the Scottish Government’s bold and brave targets to halve child obesity in less than a generation, and welcome the declaration of war on junk food ads, relentlessly bombarding young people and fuelling an unhealthy food culture. We hope that Westminster policy makers are looking to what is happening around the UK – the tide is turning against junk food now just as it has on smoking and tobacco. The time is now for bold action, if we are to reverse the current trends on child obesity.”
For more information:
Children's Food Campaign: Campaigning for policy changes so that all children can easily eat sustainable and healthy food.
