Scotland has a super-size problem only Government can fix – leader comment

Super Size Me was a ground-breaking documentary in which Morgan Spurlock ate fast-food for a month. Under the rules of the challenge he set himself, he had to go “super size” only if the option was offered by the server.

The film was credited with raising awareness that junk food is bad for your health but also with creating a boom in documentary films in general.

The latter accolade may be the most lasting one as, 15 years later, we are still having to be told about the dangers of “upsizing”.

In its latest attempt to do so, Food Standards Scotland warned that repeatedly saying “yes” to the tempting offer of extra food can cause you to gain 10lb in weight – that’s nearly five standard bags of sugar – over the course of a year.

Two-thirds of Scotland’s population are either overweight or obese – so many, in fact, that it’s having a serious effect on our economy, costing up to £4.6 billion a year, according to one estimate.

Some may say this should all a matter of consumer choice. But, given the scale of the current problems, this is a task that only government can tackle with the necessary force.