A respected academic has said that new laws to curb the sale of junk food are “the only way” to tackle Scotland’s obesity crisis.
Linda Bauld, a professor of health policy at Stirling University who has advised governments on both sides of the border, warned that a decade of soft measures had failed to halt dangerous weight gain among adults and children and suggested the “stick, not just the carrot” should now be used.
She said ministers must impose a ban on supermarket deals that encourage bulk buying of unhealthy foods such as crisps, biscuits and sweets. The academic, who headed a national review of smoking cessation services for the Scottish government in 2014 and was the UK government’s scientific adviser on tobacco control from 2006 to 2010, also wants junk food advertising banned on television until after 9pm.
Bauld admitted that her proposed measures could be seen as “nanny state” interference and may be fiercely resisted by parts of the food industry. She insisted, however, that efforts to improve the nation’s diet with health campaigns and relying on voluntary action by the industry had failed.
“Despite some action from the government, rates of overweight and obesity in Scotland have not decreased in a decade,” said Bauld. “Two-thirds of adults and over one-quarter of children in Scotland are overweight or obese yet only a quarter of Scottish adults are aware that being overweight could cause cancer. I believe that
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legislation is the only way forward and ministers must act now.”
Bauld’s recommendations form the thrust of a submission by Cancer Research UK to the Scottish government’s review on obesity that closes this week.
Obesity is the single biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking in the UK and excess weight is linked to 13 different types of cancer, including two of the most common — bowel and breast — and two of the hardest to treat — pancreatic and oesophageal.
Bauld, who is the charity’s cancer prevention adviser, singles out multi-buy promotions on unhealthy foods as one of the root causes of overeating. She said the deals drove up profits for retailers and food manufacturers at the expense of the nation’s health and should be outlawed. Studies have shown that rather than eke out bulk buys over a period of time, shoppers are more likely to binge on larger quantities of products laden with sugar and fat.
Official statistics published last month showed that in Scotland, 22.9% of primary one pupils are at risk of obesity, a rise of 0.8% in 12 months, and almost a 2% increase since the SNP came to power in 2007. In 2016, 65% of adults aged 16 and over were overweight, including 29% who were obese, up from 62% and 25% respectively in 2003.
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CRUK’s submission, states: “We are concerned by the lack of progress in improving rates of overweight and obesity in Scotland and that none of the Scottish dietary goals related to saturated fat, sugar consumption, fruit and vegetable intake, fibre, oil rich fish or salt have been met over the past 15 years.”
The charity points to Scotland’s levels of overweight and obesity — which are the worst in the UK and among the worst in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries — and warns that if current trends continue, unhealthy weights will lead to 670,000 avoidable cases of cancer across the UK over the next 20 years.
Last night, Aileen Campbell, the public health minister, indicated that the government is prepared to take decisive action on obesity. “We must be as bold about Scotland’s weight problem as we have been about tobacco and alcohol. Our consultation on ambitious actions, including world-leading plans to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar or salt, closes this week.”
SNP ministers have said they would “strongly press” the UK government to ban TV advertising for unhealthy foods before 9pm. If no action is taken, they will demand that the necessary powers are devolved.