We’ve set an ambitious goal to halve childhood obesity in the UK by 2030. If we’re going to achieve it, we need to inspire positive changes in the home, on the high street, in the workplace, in hospitals and in schools.
"This goal is a movement for everyone – the government, business sector and the public need to think holistically about how we make our country a healthier place for our kids to grow, learn and flourish."
20% of UK children leave primary school with obesity
that means 1.6 million children with obesity in 2030
at least 945,000 children should be a healthier weight
WHAT IS ‘OBESITY’?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines ‘obesity’ as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Read more on the WHO website.
The causes of obesity are complex, influenced by social, biological, environmental and behavioural factors. The advertising we see, what’s available in shops and restaurants, how products are labelled, and what our kids are taught about food in school – all influences what we buy and eat. And what we eat affects our health. Meanwhile, obesity disproportionately impacts poorer families. For us, the first step must be to make healthier food more affordable and convenient.
Eating well will become easier than the alternative.
Consumer demand will mean that brands want to promote healthier ranges.
There will be more cheap, healthy and convenient products available.
Food and drink in public spaces (eg hospitals or trains) will be balanced and nutritious.
All kids will have access to a decent, nutritious meal at school.
The average shopping basket and restaurant meal will contain less saturated fat, salt and sugar, and more fibre.
Jamie’s previous campaigns for better school food, the sugary drinks tax and restricting the sale of energy drinks to children have all shaped our 2030 goal.
We want more honesty from brands about what's in our food and what proportion of their sales are good for us, as highlighted by the National Food Strategy.
The government should protect kids from buying products like energy drinks, which state they are 'not recommended for children'.
Only nutritious and balanced products should be promoted online and on TV before the 9pm watershed.
We need the school food standards to be enforced to make sure that all young people can access a decent, nutritious meal 190 days a year.
Food producers must reformulate recipes so that our everyday products are healthier.
Our trade deals should have child health at the heart of them, and protect our food, environmental, and animal welfare standards
The UK government has made a number of positive commitments in its obesity strategies.
And part of our 2030 goal is to make sure it keeps these promises.
Here are some of the things we’re really proud of – and we couldn’t have done it without the help of hundreds of campaigners, charities, public figures, and all the amazing people who signed our petitions, wrote to their MPs or got behind our campaigns in other ways.
The sugary drinks levy is a policy we’re really proud of. It’s win, win, win - for businesses whose profits aren’t affected, for consumers who are drinking less sugar, and for children who are benefitting from over £1 billion of new money flowing into schools to fund more sport and free breakfasts!
We backed teacher Louise Martin on her campaign to show that energy drinks are #NotForChildren which led to every major supermarket stopping their sale to under 16s.
We got behind a group of medical students who were campaigning for more nutrition education in their syllabus - some of them were only getting a few hours as part of their entire degree! Now it’s been added to their syllabus which is great news.
So many of you got involved in the #AdEnough campaign, calling out junk food advertising targeted at kids. The Government have now committed to take action, restricting junk food ads and promotions on TV before 9pm, online and in store, and so kids see more balanced messages to promote their health!
