UK obesity heading towards the 'massive' people of America, David Lammy warns
28 December 2021, 16:28
'We're going down the road of America - massive, massive people.'
David Lammy told listeners the country is "going down the road of America" which has "massive, massive people", as a study shows the UK's plans to tackle obesity will fail without further action.
The study, from the Centre for Food Policy at City, found that even those "trying really hard" to lose weight find their efforts frustrated by a barrage of advertising for unhealthy food.
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David said: "People are being bombarded with this stuff, we've got to help folk.
"But there are other, wider issues. Why did we get rid of Home Economics in our schools? People don't know how to cook, is the other issue.
"It's hard to buy the right stuff - all the processed food that's so freely available.
"How do we make good, fresh food available to people at rates they can afford... how do we help them to know how to cook those things so they can eat properly? At the same time, not bombarded by prolific advertising everywhere, forcing them to eat bad food."
David pointed out that even in UK hospitals the vending machines sell unhealthy foods.
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"We're going down the road of America: Massive, massive people," David said.
"We're in the richest economies in the world... the poorest people are growing in weight, and in the poorest economies in the world people still can't eat and are suffering with famine. What is going on?"
