Food Standards Scotland Welcomes Scotland’s Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) welcomes the Scottish Government’s broad-ranging Diet & Healthy Weight Delivery Plan, which reflects a number of the measures proposed by FSS in 2016 to tackle Scotland’s poor diet and obesity problem.

Food Standards Scotland’s Chief Executive, Geoff Ogle, said: “Too many of us are overweight or obese and if we don’t urgently address this, 40% of us are projected to be obese by 2030. The good news is that the public are now recognising  the need for change, with nine out of 10 of us in Scotland agreeing that obesity is a serious problem.

“We’re pleased the Scottish Government’s plan takes into account some of FSS’s recommendations to improve Scotland’s food environment and make healthier choices easier for consumers. The plan also outlines FSS’s commitment to consult on an out of home strategy, which will explore measures to encourage healthier choices when eating out of home. We welcome the emphasis on encouraging leaders in Scotland to promote healthy diet and ensure diet related health inequalities are reduced.

“With a third of Scotland’s children overweight or obese, we support the ambitious actions to reduce childhood obesity, which have subsequently been complemented by actions at a UK level, detailed in Chapter 2 of the UK Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. With nearly two thirds of Scotland’s adults obese or overweight, it’s essential that Scotland continues to focus on measures to improve the diet-related health of the whole population, not just children.

“It’s clear that no sole measure can tackle this deep-rooted health problem and we welcome actions from government, but we recognise that industry and the public also have a role to play.”