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Labour threatens to ‘steamroll’ junk food firms
A Labour government will “steamroll” the food industry into promoting healthier options to tackle the obesity crisis, the shadow health secretary has said.
Speaking at the Times Health Commission summit on Tuesday, Wes Streeting criticised the “highly manipulative” marketing used by firms to sell harmful, ultra-processed foods.
He is committed to banning the advertising of junk food to children online and on TV, and said there was also a “serious case to be made” for stricter restrictions on food packaging.
Streeting promised to build a coalition of people within the food industry who recognise the need to tackle obesity, and “make it clear to the rest… You either get on board the steamroller or you’re going under it”.
The summit saw delegates including health leaders, campaigners and politicians come together in London to mark the launch of the Commission’s recommendations and discuss its findings.
The Times Health Commission, a year-long inquiry which reported this week, has called for radical government interventions to reduce spiralling obesity rates, including an end to cartoons on packaging such as “Tony the Tiger” on Frosties breakfast cereal.
Streeting suggested that such cartoons should instead be used to sell fruit and vegetables. He told the summit audience: “Why don’t we take the principle that’s been used to flog junk food, and instead apply it to healthy options for children and young people?”
“As citizens we are highly manipulated by the marketing that’s thrown at us. Certainly in terms of children, parents will experience the ordeal of going around the supermarket and being tugged down [by children] to get that KitKat cereal or chocolate bar.”
The Times Health Commission has recommended new legislation to tackle rising obesity rates, particularly among children. By the final year of primary school, one child in five is obese.
The commission said the sugar tax on soft drinks should be expanded to other sugary drinks and products, and also to highly salted foods in order to cut rates of heart attacks and strokes.
A YouGov poll for The Times found 53 per cent of people backed extending the tax to foods high in salt, and 49 per cent supported extending it to milk-based drinks containing sugar.
It also found that 74 per cent of people backed banning foods that were high in salt, sugar or fat from using packaging that aims to appeal to children, and 59 per cent backed a ban for TV advertising of such foods before 9pm.
Source: The Times, 6 February 2024
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South Korea: Quitting smoking reduces cancer risk at any age, says study
Stopping smoking at any age helps to reduce the risk of cancer, according to a major study, which found the most substantial drop in cancer risk came after the first decade of stubbing out.
The chances of developing cancer halved in people who quit for at least 15 years, compared with those who continued to smoke, with the risk from lung cancer falling further and faster, particularly in those who quit before middle age.
Researchers analysed medical data from nearly 3 million Koreans who had health examinations from 2002 onwards and recorded cases of cancer, including lung, liver, stomach and colorectal tumours until 2019. Over the course of the study, nearly 200,000 participants received a cancer diagnosis.
“Regardless of age, quitting smoking has been shown to reduce the risk of developing cancer, especially lung cancer, with early cessation before middle age leading to significant reductions,” said Dr Jin-Kyoung Oh, who led the study at the National Cancer Center near Seoul.
After an average follow-up of 13 years and five months, the risk of lung cancer among quitters fell 42%, with smaller falls of 27%, 20% and 14% recorded for liver, colorectal and stomach cancers respectively, compared with those who continued smoking.
Robert West, professor emeritus of health psychology at University College London and an expert on addiction said “This study confirms two crucial facts, One is that it can take many years for the risk of cancer to decrease relative to continuing smoking. The other is that the decrease is greater for those who quit at a younger age.”
“For smokers, this shows how crucial it is to stop smoking as young as possible. There is a benefit at every age but, the younger smokers can stop, the more of their lives they get back,” Prof West added. “The way out of smoking is clear: try to stop at least once a year and make use of evidence-based specialist stop-smoking support at every quit attempt rather than trying to go cold turkey.”
Malcolm Clark, senior prevention policy manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Smoking remains the leading cause of cancer, causing around 150 cases across the UK every single day – and the majority of people who smoke have tried to quit.
“It’s never too late to stop smoking, but people need support to help them quit. That’s why we support the UK government’s increased funding for stop-smoking services and the upcoming legislation to change the age of sale of tobacco. If implemented, this could help stop the next generation ever becoming addicted to tobacco.”
Source: The Guardian, 6 February 2024
See also: Jama Network - Cancer Risk Following Smoking Cessation in Korea
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Australia: Vape market worth up to $500 million in Victoria
Victoria's e-cigarette market could be worth up to $500 million and almost half a million people vape.
That's according to analysis by the state's parliamentary budget office. The analysis estimates 461,000 Victorians are vape users and value of the state's market is between $306 million to $503 million.
It's illegal to use or possess vapes with nicotine unless prescribed by a doctor but Cancer Council Victoria figures show just 8.6 per cent of users have a prescription.
Teens aged between 14-17 are estimated to represent eight per cent of the market, which the report said indicates illegal selling to minors.
It attributes the uptick in vaping to a mix of first-time users taking up the habit and former tobacco smokers making the switch.
Illegal vapes are often advertised at tobacco shops and Victoria is currently the only Australian state without an e-cigarette licensing scheme or formal plans to introduce one.
Source: Daily Mail, 7 February 2024
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Health and Social Care Committee: Oral evidence, Prevention in Health and Social care
On Tuesday the 6th of February, the Health and Social Care Select Committee heard evidence from Hazel Cheeseman, Deputy Chief Executive, Action Against Smoking; Asma Khalil, Vice President for Academia and Strategy, The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG); Professor Peter Hajek, Director of Health and Lifestyle Research Unit, Wolfson Institute of Population Health Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry Queen Mary University of London about preventing the harms caused by tobacco. During the session the following points were made:
• Responding to a question about whether the smokefree generation legislation being “nanny state”, Hazel said that tobacco smoking is an addiction that is often taken up as a child and is a uniquely lethal consumer product and therefore requires a unique regulatory approach.
• Responding to a question about whether it would be difficult to enforce, Hazel pointed to previous smokefree legislation which saw high levels of compliance as a result of investment in enforcement and education around the policy. She added that the Smokefree Generation legislation would ideally make up part of a package of measures which would reduce smoking prevalence among all age groups.
• Smokefree legislation has broad public support with the majority of the public backing the smokefree generation.
• The success of regional programmes such as Fresh who operate in the North East at driving down historically high rates of smoking should be learnt from and replicated in other regions across the nation.
• The success of public health interventions aimed at reducing smoking rates were successful because the tobacco industry were kept at arm’s length, and this should be replicated with other harm causing industries such as alcohol and the unhealth food and drink industry.
You can watch the full session here.
Source: Parliament TV, 6 February 2024
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