UK politicians have expressed concerns over the effectiveness of the Government’s policy to improve diets and tackle obesity.
The health select committee today (2 November) issued a report in which it said it was “unconvinced” that the Government’s Responsibility Deal would tackle rising obesity in the UK.
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The Responsbility Deal was introduced last year and has seen the UK government work with the food industry and other stakeholders to draw up policy to encourage consumers to exercise more and eat more healthily.
The policy is based on the concept of “nudging”, where consumers are encouraged to live more healthily, and avoids introducing regulation to ban products or restrict consumer choice. Policy is developed by five networks that include representatives from the industry, the voluntary sector and the public health field.
The Government has faced criticism that nudging will not be enough to tackle obesity and that the food industry, keen to avoid regulation, has too much influence on policy.
In its report, the committee said it was not opposed to “innovative techniques” like nudging, if they can be shown to work. However, it added that it was unsure whether the Responsibility Deal would succeed in tackling obesity and said the Government needed to show how regulation could be introduced if current policy failed.
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By GlobalData“We do not oppose the exploration of innovative techniques such as nudging, where it can be shown, following proper evaluation, to be an effective way of delivering policy objectives,” the report said.
“The committee were, however, unconvinced that the new Responsibility Deal will be effective in resolving issues such as obesity and alcohol abuse and expect the Department of Health to set out clearly how progress will be monitored and tougher regulation applied if necessary.”
The report also urged the Government to ensure that industry should not define the policy it pursues.
“Partnership with commercial organisations has a place in health improvement. However, those with a financial interest must not be allowed to set the agenda for health improvement,” it said.
