UK Government believes “snack sizes” could be a key step in tackling obesity
UK Health Minister, Alan Johnson, has asked a number of prominent confectionery producers to reduce the sizes of some of their products to assist in the battle against obesity.
Mr Johnson last week met with a group of confectionery and beverage manufacturers, including Mars, Coca Cola and Nestle, asking them to promote healthier products and introduce more individual snack/fun size products.
“We were raised to waste not want not, so if we buy a big chocolate bar we’ll eat it all. If snack sizes were available it would help us to eat less,” he suggested. “Tastes are changing, people want to eat more healthily. I challenge the industry to come up with healthier snacks. That’s not just good for the nation’s health, it’s also good for business.”
The request is part of the Change4Life campaign, which has a number of food industry representatives committed to the promotion of healthier lifestyles. The campaign also recently announced the largest study of children’s health, with 11 millions surveys to be distributed to understand the eating and exercise habits of children.
