NUTRITION & HEALTH
Some studies show that sugar’s addictiveness may be similar to that of nicotine or heroin
A STRATEGIC RESPONSE Stacked up like this, the arguments for targeting added sugar in the battle against obesity and chronic disease certainly seem compelling. But what, if anything, can we do about it? Jebb remains unconvinced that sugar should be singled out for attention. “Obesity is caused by eating more calories than you need: you can’t generalise and say it’s caused by one type of calories more than another,” she says. “Plus other conditions sometimes attributed to sugar, such as diabetes, are a consequence of obesity.” She is, however, very much in favour of reducing the population’s overall calorie intake, to which sugar is a major contributor – and, as chair of the Food Network of the government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal, she believes that working with, rather than against, the big food companies is the best way to achieve this. Set up a couple of years ago, the Responsibility Deal is a UK Department of Health initiative aimed at encouraging businesses and other organisations to improve public health by taking action on food, alcohol, physical activity and health in the workplace, through both
their actions as employers and their commercial and community activities. To become partners, food manufacturers must sign up to at least one of a number of pledges. These range from clearer calorie-labelling, to helping to reduce overall calorie intake through steps such as product/menu reformulation, reviewing portion sizes, education and shifting their marketing focus to lower-calorie options. Companies signed up to date include big names such as Coca-Cola, Mars, Nestlé and Subway, all of which have made specific commitments to cut and cap calories across a range of products. Another organisation committed to the Responsibility Deal is the UK’s Fitness Industry Association (FIA), led by chair Fred Turok and CEO David Stalker. Although acknowledging “the good evidence of the role of sugar in obesity”, Stalker, like Jebb, is wary of targeting sugar specifically. However, he agrees that collaboration with ‘Big
Food’ can influence companies to improve the overall health profile of their products. Stalker also believes there is great potential for the fitness and food industries to work more closely together and, to this end, is already in talks with a number of manufacturers about the possibility of marketing health club opportunities on fast-food packaging. “In the past, operators might have put a guest pass on a pack of muesli, which is rather like preaching to the converted,” he says. “It’s the people eating junk food we need to target, so we can show them how to lead a healthier lifestyle.” Not everyone is convinced that collaborating with the food industry can work, however. In the Nature article, Lustig and his colleagues shun such ideas in favour of legislative controls that curb the availability of sugar in the same way as tobacco and alcohol. Their proposals include tightening licensing requirements on vending machines and snack bars in
In the past operators may have put a guest pass on a pack of muesli, which is preaching to the converted. It’s the people eating junk food we must target
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