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In the news: Labour would ban high-fat, high-sugar foods aimed at children - what do you think?

55 replies

KateMumsnet · 15/01/2015 11:56

Hello all

Interesting story in the news today: shadow health secretary Andy Burnham is going to pledge to set statutory maximum limits on levels of fat, salt and sugar in food which is marketed to children. Currently, limits are voluntary and industry-regulated.

He'll argue that society should be doing more to ensure that all children - 15% of whom are currently categorised as obese - have a healthy start in life. We'd love to know what you think: is this something that should be government-regulated - and will it work?

OP posts:
Isitmebut · 16/01/2015 15:00

FAT GOVERNMENT COSTS; Even if a government has chosen to build a fat, inefficient, bureaucracy, sucking on the once in a generation tax windfalls of a banking/asset price bubble rather than building homes, nuclear power stations, or the future needs of a growing/aging population - if it then decides not to cut it by 2010, when the private sector jobs/taxes supporting it from 2008 had fallen dramatically, the resulting budget deficit limits the option for any future government to invest/alleviate poverty and lower taxes for the masses.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1214001/The-cost-quango-Britain-hits-170bn--seven-fold-rise-Labour-came-power.html

By 2010, many hundreds of thousands private sector jobs in the UK had been lost, and even those families with parents in work had seen inflation adjusted earnings fall around 5% from 2007, and for some reason in a recession, the low paid saw the 10% income tax rate taken away.

And what did the last Labour government, maintaining the fat government full of regulators then do to get back those jobs for individuals and families alike, and lower ‘the cost of living’ pressures from their many tax rises e.g. Council Tax, _they put an extra tax on everyone’s jobs and their potential private sector creation.

“Labour’s plans to increase national insurance next year will cost jobs, Alistair Darling has said.”
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/7539343/Labours-planned-National-Insurance-increase-will-cost-jobs-Alistair-Darling-admits.html

“In his evidence, Mr Darling defended his plans to increase national insurance, saying it was necessary to raise extra money to reduce Government borrowing, which will be £167 billion this year.”

So do you now understand while I do not accept that the UK needs to go back to more regulation under those who STILL don’t understand what they did, or that any poverty in the UK, was CAUSED by Coalition policies?

P.S. I apologise for the size of the post, but that’s what happens when going into the detail, examining the problems and potential solutions behind ideological soundbites, rather than continually repeating them and the failed policies that made child poverty such an issue.

Jackieharris · 16/01/2015 15:03

They should do it with sweetners too.

Too many parents mistake 'sugar free' products as 'healthy'.

mummybare · 16/01/2015 15:05

Aaaaargh. This idea just misses the point so spectacularly. It starts in schools. Ensure kids get daily exercise and teach them how to cook. Call it HE, food technology, whatever, just teach them how to make ingredients into food.

The trouble is that this hasn't been done for so long that most parents rarely cook proper food, but we have to break the cycle somehow.

Gileswithachainsaw · 16/01/2015 16:17

The trouble is that this hasn't been done for so long that most parents rarely cook proper food, but we have to break the cycle somehow

Agreed.

but doesn't that toe in with the wages and standard of living and education arguments too.

People can no longer afford to live on one wage. and minimum. wage is t enough to live off. parents are exhausted and rely on Convenience food.

such food is laned as healthy with labels saying "Contains x of your five a day"

or "made from.100% chicken breast" or "a great source of omega 3" etc and people do t realise it's been so heavily processed or its full of other crap that's bad for you.

The fruit and voucher schemes are only able to be used in certain shops. local markets or places like aldi where more fruit and veg can be got for their money aren't included.

supermarkets con us with their stickers. People think. It's cheap and a good deal but would get more buying loose.

If parents had the time and money and education maybe it would be easier and something that's obtainable.

fuzzpig · 17/01/2015 10:36

I think a better focus would be reducing how much processed food children eat.

I agree with this.

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