‘Constrain or shame’ food producers over unhealthy products, MSPs are told

By EDDIE BARNES
Published on 20/09/2012 00:16

SCOTLAND needs to move on from its crackdowns on smoking and alcohol to target the food industry, a leading Scottish academic told MSPs yesterday, amid fresh warnings about the steepening healthcare costs facing the nation.

Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, who chaired the Royal Commission into Long-Term Care, told an inquiry by MSPs yesterday that there may be a case to “constrain or shame” food producers who continued to offer unhealthy products to families.

His warning came as public sector leaders told MSPs that, with health care costs likely to rise thanks to the ageing population, radical new plans would be required to try and reduce the overall health bill by stopping people getting sick in the first place.

The Scottish Parliament was the first in the UK to introduce a ban on smoking in public places in 2006. Earlier this year, the SNP government also pushed through plans to slap a minimum price on all alcohol in Scotland.

However, Lord Sutherland said: “Smoking required legislation and it is really going to pay off, no doubt about it. You have to think similar things about food.”

Speaking to The Scotsman, he said one idea could be to put into law a nationwide “traffic light” system of food labelling, under which supermarkets and food producers would have to comply with a clear red, orange or green sticker on each product.

The system is already widely used voluntarily by supermarkets, but Scottish ministers are now considering whether to back a UK wide regulation in law to make shoppers more aware than ever of the quality of food they are eating.

Lord Sutherland said: “They are there to make money, but there are others who say you can constrain or shame them 
and that ought to be thought about and that is a matter for parliament.”

His comments came as MSPs were warned yesterday that huge new pressures are likely to face public services over coming years, triggered by a combination of budget cuts, an ageing population and the rocketing cost of healthcare.

Scottish ministers have targeted smoking and alcohol-related harm over the past few years, both of which have been shown to cost several billion pounds a year in health costs.

But previous studies have shown that, with obesity predicted to affect 40 per cent of the population by 2030, the cost to the NHS of treating diet-
related health problems could hit £3 billion.

A UK wide-consultation on improved food labelling is now set to report back to the Department of Health in the coming weeks. It is expected to recommend national standards so that customers can get a clear idea of the healthiness of each item of food.

Last month, Tesco said it would be changing its own long-standing opposition to the traffic light method, joining both Asda and Sainsbury’s in doing so. However, many branded food producers do not carry it.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said that ministers would outline their views soon on whether legislation was required. Earlier this year. Public health minister Michael Matheson said he favoured a “clear, single system for consumers”.

A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium said: “Our retailers are absolutely committed to providing this information to customers.