Back in May 2022, the government delayed parts of its obesity strategy. Plans to restrict TV advertising of junk food before the watershed and paid-for online ads were also paused.
It was a strong attack from a usually loyal former party leader, but Hague wasn't alone in expressing his discontent with the delay. Chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver also criticised it, saying it was a "wasted opportunity" which "looked progressive and world leading written down, but is falling apart". Henry Dimbleby resigned as the government's food tsar, telling BBC Radio 4: "I think the ideology of the Conservative Party and they way they are dealing with the problem of diet-related disease makes no sense. In 10 years' time, whatever government is in power, they are going to be dealing with huge problems to the NHS, which is going to suck money from the rest of government spending and cause misery from diet-related disease".
The fact is that two in three adults in the UK are overweight or obese, according to an NHS health survey in 2019. It could be worse now after the pandemic, I fear. The latest research, which analysed 122,598 responses, shows that obese people are more likely to take sick days, compared to people of a 'ordinary' weight. The research also found that obese people are more likely to be off work for longer.
Academics in Vienna said that the economic consequences of obesity are "massive" and urged policymakers to "take more action". Interestingly, the UK and France didn't provide data for the survey, but I'm sensing an underlying theme to all of these quotes...more needs to be done to gently cajole us into making better choices.
I'm not sure about the sick days theory, though. Feels like a massive generalisation to me. Full disclosure, since you've read this far...I'm tipping the scales at 15 stone at the moment, making my BMI just shy of 33. Unless I'm the exception to the rule, I can tell you I've only had two sick days in the last 25 years of working full time.
Shamefully, one of those sick days was when I worked at the council in York, and ate too much the day before. The boss sent me home, because I was essentially unable to move due to overindulgence. I can laugh about it now, but I don't recommend combining an all-you-can-eat Chinese, Golden Arches and Pizza Hut in a single day. The other sick day was when I worked in Bridlington, on the Yorkshire Coast, and I literally woke up with no voice. Not ideal for a Drivetime show on the radio!
Taking myself out of the equation, I'm not sure 'fat-shaming' people has ever worked. The majority of people carrying too much weight know that they could do with shifting a few pounds, and guilt-tripping them rarely works. I also think the sick days theory is baloney, if I'm honest.
I do, however, agree with the likes of Jamie Oliver that more needs to be done to promote the virtues of fresh fruit and vegetables, cooking from scratch, and moving away from a culture where a couple of clicks gets us a lukewarm burger and fries delivered via a man on a bicycle within minutes. It is definitely a ticking timebomb for our health service, and I'm making you a pledge that next time I mention my BMI in this column, it will be lower than 32.8!
Tempting junk food at supermarket tills, end of aisle offers for weak shoppers like me, and better prices on nutritionally bereft items are all things that could be looked at. While we're at it, I'd like to request a ban on the term "nanny state". I don't think looking after our health should be seen as a bad thing, to be honest. The food industry is powerful, but the government should have the courage to listen to the recommendations of its previous food tsar, and do more about this issue before it costs us all far more in the long run.
Alex B Cann Column - February 6th 2025
