TACKLING OBESITY TOGETHER
• REALITY CHECK • THE ECONOMICS OF CHANGE • THE REALITIES OF COMMERCE • LEARNING FROM THE PAST • MAKING IT EASY • A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH
INTRODUCTION
There can be no argument that obesity is a major concern in the UK. In 2019/20: • 1,022,000 people were admitted to hospital where obesity was a factor – a 17% increase over the previous year. • Obesity levels have been rising steadily – a NHS report in 2020 found that on average 63% of adults were either overweight or obese by 2018. • The same report found that 26% of men and 29% of women were obese. Obesity not only puts people’s health at risk, particularly from diseases like diabetes, but also puts greater strain on the NHS and hospital beds in particular, often resulting in others having to wait longer for surgery and healthcare
REALITY CHECK Over the last 20 years, successive governments have sought to tackle health through voluntary reformulation programmes but the success of these is very questionable as there is little evidence that they are having impact, particularly amongst those most at risk.
Salt
Public Health England launched its campaign to reduce salt in foods in 2004 by focusing on voluntary targets for producers of certain foods to achieve. In 2017 they reported that overall (for retailers and manufacturers combined), where maximum targets were set, 81% of products had salt levels at or below their target (retailers 86%, manufacturers 72%). They also stated that pizzas were one of nine categories to have met the targets set for them. In 2014, PHE reported that average salt consumption for adults was 8g per day, compared with the recommended 6g per day. In 2020, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2018/2019, revealed that estimated salt intakes in adults in England were 8.4g/day (9.2g/day for mean and 7.6g/day for women), suggesting that the PHE approach was failing. Check table salt sales over the period
Sugar
Like salt, PHE set voluntary targets for sugar reduction in 2016 which was followed up later by a tax on sweetened drinks which coincided with the work the industry was already doing to reduce sugar in soft drinks. Despite the work done by manufacturers and retailers to reduce sugar in the targeted products over the first three years, PHE reported in 2020 that there had been a 2.6% increase in the tonnes of sugar sold from the product categories included in the programme. Taking account of population growth over the period, this means that there was effectively little or no change in sugar purchased per person. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sugar-reductionreport-on-progress-between-2015-and-2019
Conclusion
The above demonstrate that, despite the co-operation of the food industry and the significant costs of reformulating products they have absorbed, without consumer buy-in such initiatives stand little chance of success.
INTRODUCTION If we are to bring the obesity levels down, it is essential that we fully embrace the economics of supply and demand. The laws of supply and demand form the most fundamental concepts of economics. Whether you are an academic, farmer, food manufacturer, or a consumer, the basic premise of supply and demand has to be at the heart of anything you do. Retailers and manufacturers know that if they want to sell products they must either respond to an existing demand or they must persuade their potential customers that their product is something they want. In short, you cannot force someone to buy something they don’t want. A fundamental flaw in the health programmes to date is that they have largely ignored the laws of supply and demand by expecting food producers to change but without convincing their customers that they want those changes.
Conclusion
If we are to win the battle against obesity we must first win the minds and hearts of consumers and create the demand that will drive change.
THE REALITIES OF COMMERCE There is a common misconception in parts of Government about the competitive structure of the High Street, with the retail and foodservice sectors seen as being distinctly different. While this might have been true in the past, in today’s world these two sectors are increasingly in direct competition and never more so than since the pandemic. With more people than ever working and eating at home and delivery becoming increasingly the norm, retail meals are competing directly with foodservice deliveries. Competition in the High Street is also intensifying between foodservice businesses, with the bigger brand names in many cases struggling against a strong independent sector. In tackling obesity government needs to be more aware of these commercial realities or they face unbalancing the markets, making it less attractive for businesses to invest in expansion and growth. One of the concerns about supply-led nutrient reduction policies is that manufacturers and retailers are asked to gamble that if they make substantial investments in reformulation their consumers will accept them. The uncertainties of this approach does not create a climate that is conducive to investment.
Conclusion
It is important that health campaigns recognise and dovetail with the commercial realities of the High Street if they are to achieve their long term goals. By influencing consumer demand change, government can give business the confidence to invest in the knowledge that there is a market. Furthermore, all sizes and types of business will respond without the risk of government distorting markets.
LEARNING FROM THE PAST Over recent decades there has been a fundamental shift in social attitudes towards people being overweight. In today’s world it has become acceptable to the extent that it has become almost fashionable. While no-one wants to return to times when people were teased for being overweight, if we are to succeed in addressing the obesity crisis it is essential that mindsets are changed and society discourages obesity. Indeed, two of the most successful government campaigns in recent times demonstrate the importance of winning consumer support and how this can create change:
Drink Driving
Since the launch of the modern hard-hitting drink driving public awareness campaign in 1976, attitudes towards drinking and driving have changed. Indeed, in 2014 a survey found that 91% agreed drink driving was unacceptable and 92% of people said they would feel ashamed if they were caught drinking and driving. It is now socially unacceptable to drink and drive.
Anti-Smoking
Launched in 1984, the no-smoking campaign set out to create an environment that would encourage smokers to give up. At the time of the launch, 33% of adults smoked. By 2021 this had fallen to 14.7% of the population and it has become socially unacceptable to smoke around non-smokers.
Conclusion
These campaigns act to demonstrate that if real progress is to be made in tackling obesity, social attitudes need to be changed – not to make fun of obesity but to encourage recognition that in being seriously overweight people are putting themselves and others at risk, just as smoking is seen as being unhealthy for non-smokers.
MAKING IT EASY Understanding what is good and bad in terms of the foods we eat is not easy. On many food packs, calories are given in kilojoules and there is no standard measurement for a portion size. Even people working in the food industry struggle to work out what a healthy portion should be. There are also misconceptions about the foods we eat. For example, meat free products are often perceived as being healthy but frequently contain similar levels of calories and salt as meat products. Add to this the over-layered messaging from government about the need to reduce fat, salt and sugar in our diets, plus the many myths about diet management, and it is no wonder that people give up trying to make sense of it all. Fundamentally we have to remove this confusion with clear, unambiguous and consistent messaging that all consumers can easily understand. At the same time it is important that we make sure that children understand diet better by building health and diet into the education curriculum.
Conclusion
We believe the key to this is Calories. Most consumers have some understanding of calories and the need to manage their daily intake. There are also clearly defined daily intake guidance figures for calories. By stating boldly on all food and drink packaging the total number of calories in a product alongside the defined daily intake figures, it is easy for consumers to see how much of a product they should consume. Furthermore, clear total calorie labelling on the front of packs when displayed means consumers can make instant health comparisons between products at point of selection. In turn, this means that consumers are now driving demand by making choices – rather than being told by manufacturers and retailers what they should buy, which goes against the economic laws of supply and demand.
A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH The mistrust that exists between government and industry is neither helpful nor productive. If the country is to seriously tackle obesity, there is a need to bring together the skills and resources of both groups to create structured and viable campaign plan that will drive real change. To this end, we propose the setting up of an industry/government task force to set clear goals and a public awareness programme that will bring about real change. We believe that key elements of this need to be: • Clear, bold and concise labelling that helps consumers make reasoned choices about what they buy and consume, based around calories. Development of the PHE ‘One You’ 400-600-600 calorie diet campaign might be considered for this. • The development of a strong public awareness campaign designed to change social attitudes and encourage consumers to be more aware of the damage that obesity does to themselves and, indirectly, to others. • The development of an incentive programme for businesses based around their individual performance in supporting the campaign – perhaps, through driving down calories. This could be done through a ‘Supporting a healthier nation” logo that businesses/products could be awarded to use in their marketing. • Clearly measurable goals that judge success based on obesity figures and not whether a particular product meets specified criteria.
LETS TACKLE THIS TOGETHER! For further information please contact: Jim Winship Director The Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association jim@papa.org.uk