Here's our response to new research, published in The Lancet, predicting that 26 million people in the UK could be clinically obese by 2030.
The research, from an international team, forecast that such a rise would lead to an extra £2 billion per year in costs of dealing with associated health conditions.
Our Chairman, Rob Rees, said:
“There are simple things which can make a huge difference here. We have to start early – support nurseries, children’s centres and other providers of childcare to offer balanced menus, encouraging children to try lots of different foods and to eat together. We have to help families with young children to develop the skills they need to cook healthy meals, from scratch, at home.
“We also need to encourage more children to choose healthy school meals – which on average are much healthier than a typical packed lunch – and keep up the great work in schools to make nutritious menus tasty, varied and fun.
“Finally, we have to make sure that all children have the chance to learn to cook. We know from our work in thousands of schools all over the country that cooking skills improve diets. It’s a life skill which will help children to grow into healthier adults.”
