Child obesity rates putting future of UK at risk, Tony Blair Institute warns

Record-level child obesity rates are putting the future of the UK at risk, with urgent action needed to tackle junk food, according to a new report.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) says “political inertia” is the biggest challenge to replacing cheaper, processed foods with healthy, cost-effective choices.

The Fit For The Future: A Fair Deal On Food For A Healthier Britain report says schools can be vital in tackling the issue, calling for reforms to include around 800,000 children who it says are living in poverty but are not able to get free lunches.

It should be easy to be healthy, but it isn’t, especially when we’re faced with a flood of sugar on our supermarket shelves and ultra-processed food clogging up our high streets. And for people with limited time and money, it’s even harder

Celebrity chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver wrote in the introduction to the report: “We need economic growth, and to maximise that growth we simply can’t leave anyone behind.

“It’s a scandal that today the health of one in three children is at risk due to the food they eat.

“Free school meals for children is the fourth emergency service.

“If we give the 800,000 children who need one a free school meal, it will boost the economy by £8.9 billion over 20 years because well-fed children thrive at school.

“We know that poor diet is a risk factor for some horrendous conditions, including 13 types of cancer. Why should those living in deprived areas be even more likely to suffer because nutritious food isn’t accessible or affordable for them?

“It should be easy to be healthy, but it isn’t, especially when we’re faced with a flood of sugar on our supermarket shelves and ultra-processed food clogging up our high streets. And for people with limited time and money, it’s even harder.

“Food companies are also trapped in this system: they need to sell us more and more to keep their investors happy.

“And there’s fierce competition – they’re all vying to sell us foods that are cheap to make and sold for the biggest profit margins, but these are the same foods that are making us unwell.”

The report proposed measures including legislation to restrict junk food adverts and rules to ensure healthy items are kept in government buildings, such as schools and hospitals.

It also said artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to identify items with higher nutritional values.

Ultra-processed foods make up 57% of the average UK diet, with nearly one-third of children aged two to 15 overweight or obese, the report says.

Hermione Dace of the TBI said: “Britain needs a fair deal between the food industry, the government and the public to prevent and treat obesity and create a generation that is fit for the future.

“We need a fresh approach, one that confronts nanny-state nonsense to give people real options, rebalancing the food system in favour of healthy, cost-effective choices and disincentivising profiteering from ultra-processed and junk food.

“New technology and cutting-edge science gives government and businesses greater opportunities to create a healthier food environment.

“For the sake of the nation’s future, politicians must act – the health of the nation and our economic growth and prosperity depend on it.”