Obesity
in the UK
Dear
ladies and gentlemen. First of all I would like to thank you all for
coming here tonight. It will be a pleasure to make a speech to you. I
will start this speech with an outline of the situation in the United
Kingdom, and then put forward some ideas and argumentations for how
to stop this increase of obesity.
It
is important to keep an eye on obesity because it is such an
intimidating topic. A new report on obesity in the United Kingdom has
led the government to call the problem as big as global warming. If
action is not taken, more than half of the British people will be
obese. If the development continues unimpeded it will lead to obesity
on 60 percent of the British men, 50 percent of the women and every
fourth British child in 2050, in such a big extent that their health
will be threatened. Researchers have also highlighted that
obesity-related diseases can shorten the life significantly. The
phenomenon can be compared with cigarettes.
Besides
the health consequences it may also become an economic disaster for
the British. It is estimated that obesity diseases such as type 2
diabetes and blood clots, may be able to cost the community a big
annual additional expenditure. We all bear a responsibility toward
this issue, so therefore we have to make an end of all the
implications and consequences included. In my opinion it is never too
late to do something against your overweight. So let us start NOW!
The
reason why children’s eating habits are not improving is, in my
opinion, that the children do not have a choice. If you take a look
on Britain’s best family-orientated attractions you will see, that
the children’s menus are filled with unhealthy food and drinks. You
can only get things like meat nuggets, hot dogs, burgers, chips, soda
etc. There will only be few places where the children menus contain
healthy portions of vegetables, drinks and fruit. In the few places
where you can get these healthy products, the choice is limited to
baked beans and peas, usually not fresh. You can therefore say that
children are forced to eat unhealthy products, because they do not
have other good options. In some cases the parents do not have time
to come home and cook, as a result of long working. Therefore they
probably just buy some fast food on their way home, although it has
been attacked for being unhealthy. It is here we (“which”) must
interfere. Employees of “Which” must work together to stop this
unfortunate development. Therefore I ask you all to take action, for
the reason of you, your family and last but not least the whole
society.
Experts
and researchers talks and about banning and restrictions, but I do
not think that prohibitions and restrictions would work in this case.
It should be no more than a last resort. In “which”, we see some
very exciting opportunities in advising the food industry on the
development of concepts, which can sell healthier food to children.
We already have a lot of experience in how to obtain children and get
hold of their attention - e.g. using familiar children characters or
development of names and concepts that speaks to the younger
population. Many children have learned to eat spinach by Popeye, and
who says that the concept of dog farts (“hundeprutter” maked by
Bon Bon) could not have been used on healthy food rather than sweets?
I think this is a great potential that the food industry must take to
heart, in order to take their part of the responsibility and reduce
the number of people with intimidating obesity. If various catering
companies take this approach in use, it would probably lead to the
fact that kids would prefer the healthy food rather than the
unhealthy. In this way we will stop the vicious cycle plaguing
children and adults alike.
Ladies
and gentlemen; this is the most viable idea we have here in “Which”.
I hope you all will help making this to a reality. Last but not least
I thank all of you who came here tonight to listen to this
presentation. It has been a pleasure standing here. Thank you.