Clamp down on fatty takeaways to tackle obesity, demand retailers

Ministers are facing calls to crack down on local takeaways amid concerns that large salty portions are fuelling Britain’s obesity crisis. 

High street leaders are calling for the Government to step up work on curbing obesity, including targeting more fast food outlets.

The British Retail Consortium is urging policymakers to shift their attention away from supermarkets, which have so far borne the brunt of regulation relating to obesity.

Most notably, grocers have been banned from putting foods high in fat, salt and sugar in prominent places in-store, while most pre-packed foods must also contain nutrition information labels.

However, the industry lobby group, which represents the country’s largest stores, said swathes of businesses were flying under the radar when it comes to improving the nation’s health.

This includes local takeaways, which can have dishes containing more than double a person’s maximum daily salt intake but are not required to provide calorie information.

Andrew Opie, the BRC’s director of food and sustainability, said: “Many takeaway establishments are actually not part of a bigger chain.

“At least larger food takeaways now have to display calories. But your local chicken shop, they are not engaging in these areas.”

He said providing calorie information “surely needs to be taken as seriously a public health issue as allergen information is and required for all businesses”.

Mr Opie said current legislation around tackling obesity was limited to a “very narrow part of the food industry”, which allowed for smaller cafes, smaller restaurants and cinemas to avoid scrutiny.

The BRC director said: “We understand there will be more challenges for some smaller food businesses, but that in itself shouldn’t be an excuse not to be included.”

He said this could mean that the Government “needs to give support to small and medium businesses to help them on their choices so around how much oils or salt are in something, or the sizes of portions”.

The BRC said it would support more obesity regulation if the Government believes it will help tackle the issue.

It comes amid signs that the UK is struggling to move the dial on the obesity crisis. Estimates suggest around two-thirds of British adults are now overweight or obese, up from half a generation ago.

On average, a man now weighs 6kg more than he would in 1993 while the average woman is 5kg heavier.

A report from the Tony Blair Institute late last year found that the issue was costing the economy almost £100bn a year. This includes a productivity hit of around £63bn from people living shorter, unhealthier lives, equivalent to about 4pc of GDP.

This total cost is set to grow by another £10bn over the next 15 years, amid signs that people are spending more of their money on takeaways and unhealthy options.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) revealed that people were still consuming 50pc more fast food than before the pandemic.

There are also concerns over how much salt people are consuming. NHS guidance says that there is a risk of developing high blood pressure if people consume too much salt.

On average, British people also consume 8.4g of salt per day on average, 40pc more than the recommended daily amount.

Research has suggested that some takeaway pizzas contain more than two times the maximum daily salt intake while a cheeseburger contains more than the maximum daily fat intake.