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Tobacco, alcohol, processed foods and fossil fuels ‘kill 2.7m a year in Europe’
Tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and fossil fuels kill 2.7 million people a year in Europe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which has called on governments to impose tougher regulation of health-harming products.
In a groundbreaking report, the WHO said powerful industries were driving ill-health and premature death by using “misleading” marketing and interfering in governments’ efforts to prevent killer diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
The new report calculates that tobacco, fossil fuels, UPFs and alcohol are responsible for more than 7,400 deaths every day across Europe’s 53 states. Overall the four industries cause an estimated 2.7 million deaths annually in Europe, about a quarter (24.5%) of all mortality.
The UN health agency’s findings amount to an unprecedented attack on the huge damage major corporations and their products are inflicting on human health. The report describes how “big industry” uses overt and covert methods to boost their profits by delaying and derailing policies to improve population health.
“A small number of transnational corporations … wield significant power over the political and legal contexts in which they operate, and obstruct public interest regulations which could impact their profit margins,” the WHO said.
Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, said: “Industry tactics include exploitation of vulnerable people through targeted marketing strategies, misleading consumers, and making false claims about the benefits of their products or their environmental credentials.”
The tactics deployed by “major commercial industries” are undermining measures to reduce smoking, drinking and obesity, which are the biggest causes of avoidable ill-heath.
Despite the health risks, only a minority of European countries have banned smoking in public places, while efforts to make harmful products less appealing through plain packaging, alcohol taxation and food labelling were also not widely implemented, the report noted.
“With the notable exception of tobacco marketing laws that have been adopted in many countries, global efforts to regulate harmful marketing have, at best, been underwhelming,” the report concludes.
Launching the report, Frank Vandenbroucke, the Belgian deputy prime minister, said: “For too long we have considered risk factors as being mostly linked to individual choices. We need to reframe the problem as a systemic problem, where policy has to counter ‘hyper-consumption environments’, restrict marketing, and stop interference in policymaking.”
The report urges governments across Europe to impose much tougher regulation of how health-harming products are marketed, introduce curbs on monopolistic practices and lobbying, and ensure trade agreements and economic laws prioritise public health.
Source: The Guardian, 12 June 2024
See also: WHO - Just four industries cause 2.7 million deaths in the European Region every year
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Conservatives pledge to bring forward Tobacco and Vapes Bill in first King’s speech in Manifesto
The Conservative manifesto was launched on Tuesday and pledges to reintroduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Their health commitments include:
• Bring forward Tobacco and Vapes Bill in first King’s speech.
• Continue to tackle childhood and adult obesity.
• Legislate to restrict the advertising of products high in fat, salt and sugar.
• Gather new evidence on the impact of ultra processed food to support people to make healthier choices
You can read their full manifesto here.
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Firefighter’s urge smoking safety after high-rise blaze in Hayes
London Fire Brigade (LFB) have issued a reminder of their smoking safety advice following a fire at a high rise building on Uxbridge Road in Hayes.
Crews extinguished a small external rubbish fire at the rear of the nine storey building. A small part of the building’s cladding was damaged by heat.
LFB said the fire is believed to have been accidental and caused by the unsafe disposal of smoking materials.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “If you smoke it is vitally important you stub it right out, preferably in an ashtray.
“Always ensure your cigarette is completely out when you’ve finished smoking it. If you don’t, you risk causing a fire which could not only destroy your home, but also cost you your life. Firefighters recommend that you have a look at our online Home Fire Safety Checker to make sure there are no hidden hazards in your home.”
The Brigade was called at 1:44am and the incident was over for firefighters at 4:00am Five fire engines and around 30 firefighters from Hillingdon, Northolt, Ealing and Feltham fire stations attended the scene.
Source: Harrow Online, 11 June 2024
See also: LFB – Home Fire Safety Checker
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