Member News
23rd January 2013The food and drink industry has highlighted the role it is playing in fighting obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles.
A new report from the Food and Drink Federation highlights the actions its members are already taking in helping consumers to lead "healthy, balanced lives".
Richard Evans, Chair, FDF Health and Wellbeing Steering Group and President of PepsiCo UK & Ireland, said that the report shows FDF members are already "doing a great deal" to promote healthy lifestyles.
"While we can demonstrate good progress, we are not complacent," he said.
"I am clear that there is more to do, particularly by working in partnership with others. For example, we can spur further innovation by working better with research funding bodies to deliver relevant research and knowledge transfer.
"Public health is everybody’s business.
"The Public Health Responsibility Deal in England recognises this and we will continue to support it. The constructive involvement of more players from the industry and beyond will add weight and consistency to the work already completed.
"This means that governments north and south of the border need to broaden engagement with initiatives such as the Responsibility Deal and the Obesity Action Plan before deepening the commitments of those who regularly step up to the plate.
"Regardless, as this document shows, we will continue to innovate and collaborate to drive better public health outcomes and support a successful, sustainable food and drink industry."
The report highlights the ways in which FDF members are using new processes to reformulate products to increase fibre or to reduce saturated fat or salt and investing in new product development to create healthier options.
Health Minister Anna Soubry said in her introduction to the report:
"The scale of the problem is vast.
"Around 70,000 premature deaths could be avoided each year if UK diets matched nutritional guidelines. The costs of over weight and obesity on society were £16 billion in 2007, potentially rising to £50 billion a year by 2050 if left unchecked.
"The costs fall on us all - individuals and communities, the NHS and business - and ultimately on our future prosperity.
"Public health is everyone’s responsibility and we’ll only succeed if we work together.
"We agree that everyone must take responsibility for their own choices, but research points to the powerful role of the environment in shaping individual behaviour.
"That is where you have a vital role to play. I am encouraged that many in the industry have taken action. The Change4Life movement is strongly supported by FDF members, and we welcome further support."
Ms Soubry said that the UK is now world leaders on reducing salt and artificial trans fats have largely been removed.
"Some manufacturers have committed to our ambitious calorie reduction work in addition to their other commitments, with an increasingly innovative range of activities to encourage people towards healthier options," she said.