Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has clashed with Health Secretary Victoria Atkins over the government's failure to address the obesity crisis. During an appearance on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Fearnley-Whittingstall accused ministers of doing 'next to nothing' to tackle obesity in England.
The row follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to delay key anti-obesity policies until October 2025, despite evidence that the pandemic has worsened childhood obesity rates. Fearnley-Whittingstall told Atkins: 'Treating obesity is the single biggest cost to the NHS... You’re not pulling any of them. You’ve done next to nothing to help the ailing, struggling, sick citizens of the UK find healthier food.'
Atkins defended the government's record, stating that a prevention strategy would be set out in the coming weeks, which would include obesity. She also highlighted the plan to create the first smoke-free generation as a major public health intervention. However, Fearnley-Whittingstall said afterwards: 'I didn’t hear any obesity strategy.'
The government's obesity strategy was launched by Boris Johnson in 2020, after his own experience with Covid-19. It included bans on junk food adverts before 9pm and restrictions on multi-buy offers. However, Sunak postponed these measures, citing the cost of living crisis. A study published in PLOS One found that obesity rates in England increased by 45% in four- to five-year-olds and 21% in 10- to 11-year-olds during the first year of lockdowns.
