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Childhood obesity rates in England spark concern over escalating health crisis
NHS data reveals high levels of childhood obesity in England, with one in ten children starting primary school classified as obese. Among older primary students, nearly a quarter are affected, with rates especially high in deprived areas. Severe obesity in young children is leading to numerous health complications, prompting the NHS to establish specialist clinics that offer tailored care, including dietary and mental health support.
Health experts are calling for intensified action, warning that the impact of obesity has wider health consequences, increasing the risk of diabetes, cancer, and mental health challenges. Public health advocates, such as the Local Government Association, recommend directing revenues from the sugar tax to support deprived regions, where child obesity rates are nearly double those in affluent areas. Campaign groups argue that stronger regulations on unhealthy food could help mitigate the crisis, which they say is the result of years of insufficient governmental action on public health policy.
Andrew Gwynne, the Public Health and Prevention Minister, has said the Government will be “restricting junk food advertising on TV and online, limiting schoolchildren’s access to fast food, and banning the sale of energy drinks to under-16s”.
Source: The Guardian, 5 November 2024
See also: NHS England - One in eight toddlers and primary school aged children obese
Editorial note: Media stories covering other harmful consumer products, such alcohol and unhealthy food and drink, are being included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
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Lancashire authorities seize over £1.6m in illegal cigarettes, tobacco, and vapes
Lancashire County Council has conducted a significant crackdown on illegal tobacco and vape products, seizing goods worth over £1.6 million. In one of the largest operations in Hyndburn, trading standards officers uncovered roughly 100,000 packs of illicit cigarettes and hundreds of non-regulation vapes in an abandoned property next to a shop in Oswaldtwistle.
The team, assisted by a trained sniffer dog named Sky, searched multiple shops across Preston, where hidden caches of illegal items—including cannabis, unlicensed prescription drugs, and antibiotics—were found. The operation also uncovered a trader attempting to hide contraband by throwing suitcases of tobacco onto a roof. Councillor Michael Green praised the efforts to protect the public from unsafe products distributed by unlicensed sellers.
Source: BBC, 5 November 2024
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Written questions
Asked by Dr Beccy Cooper, Labour, Worthing West
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include enforcement measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to prevent the sale of tobacco products on the internet to those under age.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Labour, Gorton and Denton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention
Selling tobacco to someone underage, whether in person or online, is a serious criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £2,500 on conviction in a magistrates' court. It is the responsibility of all retailers including those online to ensure their customers are over the age of sale. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced to Parliament on 5 November 2024, is the biggest public health intervention in a generation, and takes significant action to strengthen enforcement to ensure that current and new sales regulations are successfully implemented. The Bill introduces a new £200 fixed penalty notice in England and Wales, which will enable Trading Standards Officers to act ‘on the spot' to clamp down on rogue retailers selling tobacco, vapes or nicotine products to people underage, whether in-person or online. The Bill also provides powers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of these products. Once the scheme is introduced, it will be a criminal offence to sell these products, either in person or online, without a licence. Licensing offences will carry significant financial penalties, and those who commit sales offences could face licence revocation, enabling Trading Standards to further clamp down on rogue retailers. The details of the licensing scheme including licence conditions will be subject to consultation ahead of introduction. Alongside the Bill, the Government is exploring how we can further tackle online underage sales. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is creating a framework of standards and governance, namely the UK digital identity and attributes trust framework, underpinned by legislation, to enable the widespread use of trusted digital identity services. This framework provides a potential opportunity for companies providing age verification services to be certified, to prove they are delivering age assurance solutions that meet Government standards.
Source: Hansard, 6 November 2024
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Asked by Dr Beccy Cooper, Labour, Worthing West
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase the uptake of NHS stop smoking services amongst underage smokers.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne, Labour, Gorton and Denton, Minister for Public Health and Prevention
On 5 November 2024, the Government introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation. It will create the first smoke-free generation, as children turning 15 years old this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco, whilst those who currently legally smoke are able to continue doing so. The bill sits alongside wider support across the health service to assist smokers in quitting for good. We remain committed to helping existing smokers to quit with effective support, which is three times as effective as making an unassisted quit attempt. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends nicotine replacement therapy for young people aged 12 years old and over, and if prescribed, that behavioural support is also provided. Local authority funding has been boosted with an additional £70 million in 2024/25 to build capacity and demand for local stop smoking support.
Source: Hansard, 6 November 2024
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Kemi Badenoch appoints full shadow cabinet
Leader of the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch, has appointed Dr Caroline Johnson as the Shadow Minister for Public Health and Prevention.
Editorial note: Dr Caroline Johnson voted for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in the previous parliament.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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