Health and Vitality

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…

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…

Too many companies view food service as a commodity or a cost to their business, as opposed to a support service that nurtures people and can have a dramatic impact on culture, productivity and success. By Chris Sheppardson. The steady demise of team culture across multiple industries and the rise of those affected by mental…

Extra powers needed to halt surge in “unhealthy” takeaways

New planning policies are needed to restrict the growth of hot food takeaways, according to a new report. Sustain’s analysis found that McDonald’s and KFC are eyeing up 800 new sites in an “aggressive expansion plan”, putting the government’s target to halve childhood obesity by 2030 at risk. A growing body of evidence suggests there…

CMO’s report on obesity: initial reaction

The chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies has published her analysis of how the government can best tackle childhood obesity. Within the first page or so it was obvious this was going to be a pretty damning assessment of the current situation: “In the last year of primary school, on average, six children out…

Children call for widespread alcohol advertising bans

Marketing of alcoholic drinks needs to be restricted, including at sporting events and on holiday, according to research conducted by children. Members of the Children’s Parliament in Scotland found that young people are being frequently exposed to alcohol through marketing, as well as in shops and at home. As a result, they feel “unsafe and…

OOH ‘hidden sugar’ leads to calls for mandatory labelling

Another day, another analysis of the unhealthy offerings in the UK’s out of home (OOH) sector. What’s the story? Action on Sugar surveyed 191 products from restaurants, cafés and takeaways (including 94 crepes, 12 pancakes, 16 pretzels and 69 waffles and their toppings). What did they find? A lot of sugar. Almost half (42%) of…

Plastic pollution health risks: we need to know more, says WHO

Microplastics in drinking water “don’t appear to pose a health risk” at current levels but there are a number of “gaps” in the research, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “Quality-assured toxicological data are needed on the most common forms of plastic particles relevant for human health risk assessment,” WHO noted in its new…

Promoting plant-based meals? Don’t forget the 80%

The two most impactful ways of reducing the footprint of our food are: reducing food waste along the whole food production and consumption chain; and consuming fewer animal products, writes Annette Burgard. In two quick statistics: agriculture is responsible for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions; about 40% of all land on earth is used…

Only 3% of consumers choosing a plant-based diet are “eco-warriers”, solely motivated by animal welfare, environmental concerns and health benefits. The vast majority of plant-based consumers fall into four categories: the “healthy hardcores”, whose focus is primarily health; the “value hunters”, who are mainly students and are seeking foods with a longer shelf-life than meat;…