The first Grocer Health Summit
Courtesy Carl Sukonik - www.thevain.co.uk
Dr Chris Van Tulleken’s Sunday Times best seller Ultra Processed People is eye opening. Reading it before interviewing him at #thegrocerhealthsummit has changed the way I do my food shopping. I now scrutinise every label.
Dr Van Tulleken who is Professor of Infection and Global Health at University College London as well as one of the UK’s most well-known science broadcasters says that in the UK, ultra-processed food makes up 60 percent of the average diet and worldwide UPFs have been shown to be the leading cause of early death, ahead of tobacco.
Dr Chris told the audience of retailers, food brands, scientists and policymakers that supermarkets could tackle the obesity crisis by joining together like “cartels” to improve the quality of processed foods. In answer to my question on what practical step could be taken to reduce diet related ill health, Dr Chris said that industry influence on food policy should end. He said industry funding of food charities and scientific papers compromises and skews their work. For instance the British Nutrition Foundation a public facing charity whose members sit on government advisory groups is funded “by almost every food company you can think of. *
Dr Chris likened the food industry to “Big Tobacco”, a comparison I pointed out that the audience would not appreciate. But despite his criticism of industry, he expressed his wish to continue the dialogue with the people in the room who in a show of hands unanimously expressed their personal desire to produce healthier food.
My day started with an interview with Lord James Bethell, a former UK government health minister who also accused supermarkets and food manufacturers of using tobacco industry tactics.
Lord Bethell said: “There is a very strong chance going into the next election that the kind of public anger that was directed at Facebook and Google over things like pornography seen by children could be directed at food companies over things like targeting kids with addictive foods.”
Ultra processed People Why Do we all Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food…and Why Can’t We Stop? Penguin books
