Eating on public transport should be banned, claims report
10 October 2019, 08:58
Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies has claimed that the move will help tackle childhood obesity
Eating on public transport should be banned if the government are to succeed in its target of halving childhood obesity, it has been claimed.
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Professor Dame Sally Davies, former Chief Medical Officer for England, has demanded tougher measures on cracking down on obesity in a new report - also claiming that the sugar tax should be extended to milk drinks with high sugar content, such as milkshakes.
She also said that more needs to be done to stop children becoming 'dazzled' by junk food companies.
Her report states: "excess weight has slowly crept up on us all and is now often accepted as normal".
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More than one million children are clinically obese in the UK, and some suffer from Type 2 diabetes, asthma and musculoskeletal pain, as well as mental health problems, such as depression, she states.
The report also claims that over £300 million was spent on advertising fizzy drinks and junk food in 2017, compared with just £16 million on fruit and vegetables.
She adds: "Adverts are everywhere, from bus stops to our mobile phones. Children are explicitly targeted with sophisticated techniques.
"Politicians, I call on all of you across the political spectrum to come together and take action. The health of our children is in your hands."
