Cumbrian health experts call for national action on sugar and fat

Now billed as the biggest health challenge facing Cumbria, they say the time has come to take urgent action.

Locally the will is there. Tomorrow's Healthy Weight summit will see public health staff, teachers, community leaders and many others get together to draw up a plan to put this issue at the top of the agenda.

But local leaders say it will only be successful if there is also national change. They are therefore calling for more legislation and funding from Government, as well as support from across the food industry.

Colin Cox, Cumbria's public health director, is among those leading the calls. He believes the so-called sugar tax, or soft drinks levy, which comes into force next month, is a key step in tackling obesity.

“That is going to make a big difference. We are already seeing manufacturers reformulating some food and drinks.

“Iron Bru, the famous Scottish drink, has announced that it has reformulated its main product so it has halved the amount of sugar. That’s exactly what food companies ought to be doing, looking at how they can make products less unhealthy," he said.

Before Christmas, Mr Cox controversially signed a letter urging Coca Cola to stay away from Cumbria on its festive tour. It was met with a backlash, but he believes that, with sugary drinks one of the big factors contributing to Cumbria's obesity problems, it was the right thing to do.

He said he would like to see more action from Government, such as another tax targeting foods that are high in fats.

He said some of Cumbria's most deprived areas also have the highest obesity rates, so healthy lifestyles have to be made affordable.

“If you’re in a very low income family, cost is a big issue. When you do not have a lot of money you will buy the cheaper foods. At the moment these tend to be the more highly processed foods that contain lots of fat and sugar. That’s one of the problems," he said.

“The question is what can Government do to make healthy food the right choice and also the easy choice? Part of that is about being a cheap choice. Nobody likes taxes but hitting people in their pockets does work - it could make unhealthy foods cost more but healthy foods cost less."

Cumbrian GP John Howarth, who is also deputy chief executive of the North Cumbria and Cumbria Partnership health trusts, said ministers need to stand up to the food industry on this.

"Obesity is a national and local crisis. We therefore need national and local action. It's a scandal that the fast food industry has more hold over Government than health professionals or society.

"Some yoghurts have five teaspoons of sugar in them, for example. We've got the food industry creating this environment that's making our children obese. We are committing to take local action, but we need national action on this at the same time," he said.

Supermarkets are among those being asked to take action. Some now have sweet-free checkouts, while others run regular promotions on fruit and vegetables to help families make healthier choices.

Deborah Earl is Cumbria County Council's cabinet member with responsibility for public health, said: “I think it’s probably about them offering healthy options and making sure they are as prominent as the other offers. It’s the same in restaurants and cafes. The more healthy options available the better."

She would also like to see councils given more powers to better plan where fast food outlets open, and how many.

“It would be good to actually see what the Government is willing to do to drive that national change. They are doing some good things, like the soft drinks levy," she said.

“I wonder if they could give local government more powers around planning, to help us plan how many takeaways are in an area, for example, or even how close takeaways are to schools.

"There’s a lot that can be done around making sure we have the right concentration of outlets in the right areas so I think that would be helpful. I understand there is also the economic impact to take into consideration, but it would help us get that balance."

The Government is also coming under pressure over cuts to public health budgets, with Cumbria's allocation dropping by £2.5m.

It will leave just £37 per resident - one of the lowest ratios nationwide - over the next 12 months. That funding must cover everything from health visiting and and sexual health services to stop-smoking campaigns and efforts to tackle obesity.

Mr Cox said: “If you think about the advertising budget that major food companies have, and compare that to the tiny budget we have got to try and counter that coverage, it’s not in the same league.

“This is a national reduction, not a local cut. And it’s been going down nationally for a couple of years now."

He said money wasn't the only issue, but extra funding would help improve support available to young people and families.

“I suppose the key thing is that when you look at how complex it is, we can’t simply buy healthy weight, even if we had more money. This is a multi agency effort. It needs effort from everyone. But more money would allow us to provide services for people already struggling with their weight. We’ve got very little of that at the moment.

"There is some investment at an adult level - for example, people who are already overweight or obese can see their GP and get a prescription for 12 weeks access to Slimming World," he explained.

"We do fund some of that and know it is having an effect, but we do not have the budget to do that for young people. It’s also more complicated because you really need a family-wide approach. That’s the sort of thing we would like to be doing, but it takes more resource."

Ms Earl added: "Obviously the public health budget has been cut. We are working really hard to reduce the impact of those cuts, but there are no easy options left. We will start to feel it in the next few years.

“The more money we can get into public health, the more prevention work we can do. Then it eases pressure elsewhere.

“But we are doing everything we can with the money we have got. There’s no point moaning about it. We’ve got to find different ways to make sure we operate those services."

She said the key is to get everyone in Cumbria working together to tackle obesity, for example ensuring parents know how to cook healthy food on a budget, and lobbying for national support where needed.

"This is not just something for public health teams. It’s also down to councils, other stakeholders and our communities. We’ve all got to play a part and get those messages out there however we can.

"We are trying to tackle this, but do not want to tell people what to do. It’s about making sure we get the education out there. Nobody is saying you can’t have the odd McDonald’s, it’s just about balance.

“At the end of the day we just want people to have healthy relationships with food, not become obsessed with diets and calorie counting.

"If you look at what happened with the Coca Cola truck, the whole message about childhood obesity got a bit lost. I just want to encourage people to look for more information. I do believe that all parents want the best for their children," she said.