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Obesity

The most recent government figures (Health Survey for England – 2009: Health and Lifestyles) show that in England there has been a marked increase in the proportion of obese people from 1993 to 2009; from 13% to 22% for men and from 16% to 24% for women.

Since 2007 the figures appear to have leveled out, although it is too early to tell if this is a significant long term trend.

The same report also found that in 2009, 16% of boys aged 2 to 15, and 15% of girls were classed as obese, an increase from 11% and 12% respectively in 1995. By the time pupils are starting reception class (age 4-5), 1 in 10 are classified as obese.

Obesity refers to an excess of body fat, and in adults is measured by the body mass index (BMI) which is defined as a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in meters) squared. Obesity is defined as a BMI of 30kg/m2 or over. In children it is defined using the British 1990 standard growth reference.

Rising levels of obesity are a public health concern due to the association between obesity and morbidity and mortality. An obese 40 year old will, on average, have a reduced life expectancy of 6 to 7 years. There is also an increased risk of many chronic diseases include type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure (which is linked to an increased risk of stroke) and cancer. This results in reduced quality of life for the individual and an increase burden on the economy, both in terms of healthcare provision and loss of working days.

The Foresight report suggests that if current obesity levels continue, by 2050 about 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children in the UK will be obese. The associated chronic health problems are projected to cost society an additional £45.5 billion a year.

Weight gain occurs when overall energy intakes consistently exceed energy requirements, leading to weight gain. Both diet and physical activity have a role to play in maintaining energy balance. Put simply the number of calories we eat needs to match the amount of physical activity we do to keep our weight constant.

Industry Action

The members of the Food and Drink Federation share society's concerns about the health of the nation, particularly in relation to rising obesity levels, and are absolutely committed to playing a positive role in responding to this vital debate.

Our commitment is long-standing: we published our first health and wellbeing action plan way back in 2004 and in 2007 we established a Health and Wellbeing Steering Group to work constructively with Government, regulators and others to help find solutions to the complex issues at the heart of the diet and health challenge here in the UK.

To try and better understand the impact of our members' ongoing work around reformulation, renovation and product innovation, FDF asked in 2010 to Kantar Worldwide to look at nutrition information for approximately 28,000 branded products made by FDF members.

On an average grams per 100g basis, it is clear that there have been significant reductions in the relative nutrient density of the products sold by our members between 2005 and today from 4.5% on energy density to 9% on saturated fat.

These achievements of course stand on top of the progress made by industry before 2006 – and many individual categories of food have made even more progress than this average figure.

But at an overall industry level, this new data shows that the progress made in the last five years is genuinely impressive. That 9% average reduction on saturated fat – for instance – equates to around 3,000 tonnes less saturated fat being put in shoppers' trolleys today compared with five years ago, despite significantly higher volumes sold through the major retailers.

Our members have also been developing workplace wellbeing schemes that go way beyond the traditional health and safety agenda to focus on the health of their employees. FDF published recently its Workplace Wellbeing: Industry in Action (pdf, 60kb) which features case studies outlining the schemes run by several FDF members, as well as the work FDF is doing itself to increase workplace wellbeing.

However, the debate has moved on apace since 2004. This Ambition articulates how companies will continue to show leadership in this debate in key health and wellbeing policy areas such as front-of-pack nutrition labelling, workplace wellbeing and product reformulation, building on our 2004 action plan to make a real difference for consumers.

More Information

• Foresight Report – Tackling Obesities: future choices