Health campaigners say the government’s strategy to combat childhood obesity has been neutered as a result of heavy lobbying from the food and drinks industry.
Recommendations from Public Health England (PHE) have been announced by the government, but Dr Sarah Wollaston, chairwoman of the health select committee, said she was disappointed "whole sections" of the draft were dropped before publication.
In particular, PHE wanted the government to ban price cutting promotions of junk food in supermarkets and to block advertising of unhealthy foodstuffs that are high in salt, fat and sugar in between telly programmes that are popular with children, and to also block it on web sites and social media outlets that are targeted at children.
“After the farce of the responsibility deal where Andrew Lansley made the food industry responsible for policing themselves, it is sad to see that this is just another imitation of the same responsibility deal take two,” said Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Action on Sugar and Consensus Action on Salt and Health.
Professor MacGregor said the National Health Service would be bankrupted by the crisis in type-2 diabetes unless something effective is done to combat it.
Stephen O’Hara, chief executive of OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI), which is developing a range of products and additives that help manipulate the human microbiome to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes, said: “Today’s news reflects the conflicting demands between public health experts recommending restrictions on advertising and a tax on high sugar foods and drinks, and the potential economic impact on the Food and Drinks industry.”
OptiBiotix, with its SweetBiotix programme, is taking an alternative approach that recognises the difficulties of changing consumer behaviour, by developing sweet natural healthy sugars not digested in the human gut and that are consequently calorie free.
“This is an innovative concept which has the potential to address international concerns over the impact of sugar on obesity, with the prospect of replacing ‘unhealthy’ sugars in existing products with non-digestible, low calorie, healthy, SweetBiotix,” O’Hara said.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Clark of The Children’s Food Campaign said it looks like the government is failing to listen to its own public health experts.
“Industry likes to paint us as nanny-statists, but PHE is not a campaigning organisation. They have done a very thorough literature review of peer-reviewed evidence and come up with a recommendation on that,” Clark said.
The Uni cycle
Some kids have found the willpower to break away from stuffing their faces with fried chicken and sugary cereals to secure a record number of places at Britain’s universities.
Around 424,000 applicants are set to be introduced to the delights of student debt, Pot Noodle, arguments over whose turn it is to do the washing up and freedom to never tidy the bedroom.
The proportion of A-level students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland receiving the highest grades fell for a fifth year in a row, but the overall pass rate was unchanged from last year, it was revealed today as students across the land got their A-level results.
“Students up and down the country have demonstrated their talent and determination to secure good grades as a stepping stone to a career and their future,” said Pippa Morgan, the head of Education & Skills policy at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).
“As valuable as they are, exam results and qualifications are one of many factors employers look at when hiring. It’s young people with resilience, creativity and a positive attitude who will succeed, in whatever field they pursue.
“So, students who perhaps didn’t quite get the grades they hoped for should take heart – there are a thousand ways to build a career and businesses will give them support and the opportunity to shine,” Morgan said.
Dollar and the euro take a pounding
It’s time to book that late summer holiday, as the pound regained some of its former majesty on the foreign exchange markets this morning after surprisingly strong retail sales.
Against the mighty greenback, sterling broker through the US$1.31 barrier and hared higher to around US$1.3160. Against the euro, the pound is worth €1.1627, its highest level in over a week.
“After positive inflation data on Tuesday and UK employment on Wednesday, UK data continues to defy Brexit gloom as UK retail sales smash expectations of a rise of 0.2%, printing 1.4% for the month of July,” said Tom Floyd, senior sales trader at foreign exchange boutique Foenix Partners.
“With Brexit related uncertainty prevailing in the UK economic outlook it seems consumers remain unperturbed, increasing spending in good July weather as sunny conditions continue to burn through the stormy clouds of post-Brexit Britain.” Floyd added.
Amur knows the drill
I am not sure what effect that will have on Amur Minerals Corporation (LON:AMC), which is quoted in London, operates in the far east of Russia and reports in profit & loss numbers in dollars.
Nevertheless, it has been a good day for the sulphide nickel copper explorer, which reported it is way ahead of schedule in its drilling campaign in a part of the world that is almost a byword for uncooperative weather.
We should put these guys in charge of British Rail.
Also attracting attention in the small caps world today is Concepta PLC (LON:CPT), the fertility-focused healthcare company.
Its MyLotus fertility kit was developed for women who have been trying for six months or more to conceive.
Given that the company only recently floated, reversing into a cash shell, the interim results are largely meaningless but analysts expect Concepta to be revenue-generative before the end of the year and it might break even in 2017.