Health and Vitality

Poorest priced out of healthy food

Poorest priced out of healthy food
A new report has called for urgent change in the UK’s food policies to reverse a growing crisis of affordability and accessibility. Nick Hughes reports. "This report provides the strongest evidence to date of the worsening crisis affecting our food system and the health of the UK population.” That was the stark warning issued by…
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Is obesity regulation on the ropes?

Is obesity regulation on the ropes?
Recent announcements hint at a softening of government plans to tackle obesity, with an emphasis on personal responsibility rather than industry regulation. Nick Hughes reports. These are pivotal times for obesity policy in England. With Public Health England in the process of being wound down and its health improvement work due to be subsumed into…
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Foodservice hit hard by calorie targets

Foodservice hit hard by calorie targets
Long-awaited calorie and salt reduction targets have been published by Public Health England (PHE) just months before the agency is due to be wound down. Foodservice businesses will have to achieve double the calorie reductions of supermarkets with a 20% target set for most meal categories in the eating out of home, takeaway and delivery…
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PM urged to deliver junk food ban

PM urged to deliver junk food ban
A new obesity plan that excludes restrictions on junk food marketing and advertising will not deliver the necessary impact on public health, experts have warned. In an open letter to Boris Johnson signed by 49 health charities, researchers and academics, the prime minister was urged to implement a ban on junk food adverts before the…
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Campaigners throw weight behind new obesity prevention plan

Campaigners throw weight behind new obesity prevention plan
Evidence that weight is a risk factor for Covid-19 has led campaign groups to push for a more ambitious anti-obesity drive. Will a looming recession scupper their proposals? Nick Hughes reports. What a difference a year makes. Back in July 2019 BC (before Covid-19), when Boris Johnson was campaigning to be Conservative leader and de…
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KFC bans chicken … for a week

KFC bans chicken … for a week
KFC’s outlet in Binnenwegplein in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will be “completely chicken-free” from 9th-15th March. The move is part of the country’s third “National week without meat”. KFC did a test with the “Chickenless Chicken Burger” at the end of last year. During the week-long pilot one in 10 orders at KFC Akerpoort in Amsterdam…
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Food brands not backing their own “low-sugar” products

Food brands not backing their own “low-sugar” products
Mars, Nestlé and Cadbury have been accused of not supporting their own reduced- or low-sugar products. They are “frightened” that these new options could affect their established brands, Jack Winkler, emeritus professor of nutrition policy at London Metropolitan University. “They do not back the healthier variants with the marketing budgets necessary,” he told The Grocer.…
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Hospitality workers value pals over pay

Hospitality workers value pals over pay
‘Tis the time of year when staff start thinking about moving jobs – but how can you encourage them to stay? More money? Extra benefits? Flexible working? Think again. When asked to choose the top three factors that would make them remain in their job for longer, 30% of people in the hospitality sector put…
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Food labels should show calorie burn

Food labels should show calorie burn
Labelling food and drinks with the amount and type of physical activity needed to burn off the calories in it might be a more effective way of encouraging people to make “healthier” dietary choices, according to research led by Loughborough University. Physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) food labelling shows how many minutes or miles of…
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Is obesity a political priority?

Is obesity a political priority?
Tackling obesity was one of the priorities set out by food sector stakeholders ahead of this month’s general election. But is it a priority for the political parties? A sift through the manifestos shows a range of policies on offer: from a tax on meat and dairy and minimum unit pricing for alcohol to improved…
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