By Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK
SCOTLAND has a poor health record. The headlines and research tell us so. We have the reputation of a nation that loves a deep-fried Mars bar. Those to the north can’t resist a rowie, while all our kitchen cupboards groan under the weight of special-offer biscuits and multi-buy bags of crisps with little nutritional value.
Meanwhile our waistlines grow larger, our health ever poorer. Just last week came the news that rates of obesity in Britain are rising faster than any other developed nation.
Scotland’s poorest are the hardest hit, with children living in deprived communities increasingly likely to be overweight or obese, a burden that leaves them open to a range of significant health problems in later life. Obesity is linked to 13 types of cancer and is the biggest preventable cause of the disease after smoking.
It’s a depressing scenario. And with no easy answers, we’ll need some brave action to reverse an epidemic that has the potential to cripple our health, the economy and the NHS. So let’s be bold, just like we have been by introducing smoke-free public places and a minimum unit price for alcohol. Scotland’s not afraid of grasping the nettle to effectively improve public health, and here we have the opportunity to become a world leader by halting obesity in its tracks.
Just last month, the Scottish Government published its Diet and Obesity Strategy consultation document. If the plans go ahead, Scotland will become the first nation in the world to ban retailers from selling junk food on special promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free. This is good news indeed.
We know that the obesity problem is tied in with the affordability and availability of high-fat, high-sugar food and drink in comparison with healthier alternatives. While junk food flies off the shelves at knock down prices, you’ll be pushed to find as many value for money deals on healthier items.
At Cancer Research UK, we want to see measures that pave the way for people to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.
In tackling multi-buy offers on junk food, regulation will be crucial. Multi-buy offers on alcohol are already regulated in Scotland and the same thing must be done for junk food. By design, special offers on unhealthy food and drink turn our heads as soon as we walk into a supermarket. They are very effective – currently, around a third of all calories are purchased on promotion in Scotland – and they persuade us to ignore our shopping lists and buy cheap unhealthy food in large quantities. If that junk food sits in our kitchen cupboards, we’re tempted to keep reaching for it, even if it’s been bought as a treat or to last several weeks. The consequences of this are evident in our growing waistlines.
Regulations limiting junk food multi-buys would create a level playing field in that every retailer would have to adhere to them. We hope that this would also provide an incentive for shops to switch the focus of their promotions to healthier alternatives, making it more affordable for everyone to eat better.
We know the public wants action – almost seven in 10 adults in Scotland support banning supermarket promotions of unhealthy foods. As part of its expected strategy, the Scottish Government has an exciting opportunity to help prevent future cases of cancer. At Cancer Research UK, we urge them to seize this moment, tackle what is the biggest preventable health crisis of our generation and make a real difference to the future of everyone in Scotland.
The author is Cancer Research UK’s prevention expert. She will present a paper on deprivation and obesity at the Scottish Cancer Conference in Edinburgh on Monday.
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