Former prime minister Tony Blair has urged the government to tax junk foods and tighten regulations on the food industry to tackle rising obesity.
In an interview with The Times Health Commission, “he compared the need for intervention over poor diets to the smoking ban”.
Tony explained, “We’ve got to shift from a service that’s treating people when they’re ill to a service that is focused on wellbeing, on prevention, on how people live more healthy lives.
“You can’t run a modern healthcare system where people are going live much longer unless they take some responsibility. You’ve got to help them do that.
“The way of helping them do that, particularly with poor families, is to create the circumstances in which [they can choose healthier food].”
Tony added that concerns over the “nanny state” were a “minority view”. He went on to compare the anti-obesity debate to the ban on smoking in public areas. He commented, “Smoking was a big, big moment for us. I was a bit worried because people whose political judgement I respected were saying — the working class will walk away from you completely.”
Expanding the sugar tax, Tony argued, and introducing further taxation on foods high in fat, salt and sugar alongside changes in industry regulations could be the key to change.
He said, “Diet is really important. You’re also doing no favours to young people [by not taking action]. If their diet is poor, their health is going to be poor, their lives are going to be poorer. You’ve got to grip these decisions. You’ve just got to take the decision and just get on with it and drive it through.”