A Tory government would ditch the traffic light system of food labelling favoured by the Food Standards Agency and seek voluntary agreements with industry to tackle obesity, shadow health spokesman Andrew Lansley said last week.

Speaking to the Reform Think Tank he said he would support EU-wide proposals for mandatory front-of-pack labelling and would ask the food industry to cut the size of portions. He also called for “proportionate regulation on advertising and positive campaigns from the industry and government to promote better diets”.

Rejecting regulation of the food industry and a “narrow focus” on junk food, he suggested that a “responsibility deal” between government and businesses would best help combat obesity.

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