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Sweet or Sour? Are sugar reduction efforts working?
By Mhairi Brown, Policy Coordinator, Action on Sugar It’s a new year, and a new decade to boot, and once again the UK has a new government in place, pledging to deliver where previous administrations have failed. Poor diet is now the leading risk factor for ill health...
2019 Election Manifesto Promises on Obesity
By Jamie Hamilton, OHA Public Affairs group With less than three weeks to go until December 12th, the General Election is fast approaching. Over the past two weeks, Britain’s major political parties have been busy setting out their stalls and laying out their policy...
A Healthy Weight Manifesto for the 2019 General Election
Brexit aside, health is shaping up to be the big battle-ground on which this general election will be lost or won. The future sustainability of our country depends on having a strong and healthy population. In order for every child to have the opportunity to grow up...
The Government’s role in reducing obesity – what’s the public view?
Over the last week obesity has barely left the headlines. Thanks to comments from Boris Johnson about the role of taxes on unhealthy drinks, to new statistics showing the role excess weight plays in increasing cancer risk, the media has covered has covered discussions...
An exercise in consensus building: updating the OHA’s joint position statement
When the initial Obesity Health Alliance members first came together in 2015, our founding aim was to speak to Government with one voice about what they should prioritise to reduce overweight and obesity. Nearly four years on and with 46 members, representing disease...
How much unhealthy food and drink advertising do our kids actually see online?
By Dan Parker, Chief Executive, Living Loud This question lies at the very heart of the Government’s Impact Assessment on introducing advertising restrictions to products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS). To answer that question the Government turned to Kantar...
Obesity prevention in the early years – the HENRY approach
Written by Di Swanston Policy Manager, HENRY Much has been made in the press recently about HENRY - a national early years obesity prevention intervention. This attention was generated by publication earlier this month of a paper looking at school entry obesity rates...
Putting a price on health – why the Government needs to include adults in their junk food advertising analysis
By Dr Emma Boyland, Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool That the intention of advertising is to influence an audience shouldn’t need saying. Basic market rules dictate that if advertising wasn’t effective in influencing us, then it wouldn’t exist. As an academic...
Mind the gap: why junk food marketing regulations must reflect children’s changing media habits
Ofcom recently published a comprehensive report on attitudes, understanding and media use of children aged 5-15 years. It’s a timely publication, as the Government prepares to consult on the introduction of measures to reduce children’s exposure to junk food adverts –...
The Savvy State: Government’s role in addressing our obesogenic environment
By Becca Stacey, Policy and Communications Assistant at Obesity Health Alliance We’ve all queued in a supermarket waiting to pay, and been tempted by one of the sugary products purposefully placed before us, which prior to entering the supermarket we hadn’t considered...