Scotland’s new food authority, Food Standards Scotland (FSS), will take a hard line on tackling obesity, with suggested measures including a junk food tax and advertising bans.
Publishing its first five-year strategy this week, as well as a three-year corporate plan, FSS said it was committed to “developing specific measures to minimise consumption of ‘discretionary’ foods and drinks”.
FSS will review the success of current voluntary agreements as well as the potential for further industry-led action. There will also be campaigns aimed at changing behaviour.
But it said in a statement: “Behaviour change alone will not deliver the scale of change we seek.”
FSS chief executive Geoff Ogle said:“Poor diet is one of the most significant causes of ill health in Scotland. We cannot continue on our current trajectory.”
Scotland published an obesity strategy in 2010, but a new one is expected during this parliament.
The UK government published its childhood obesity strategy this week.
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