Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era

FOOD ACT!VE Annual Conference Healthy Weight in All Policies Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era Prof Simon Capewell University of Liverpool & Vice President for Policy UK Faculty of Public Health Manchester, 22 nd Sept 2017 Thanks: Robin Ireland, Alex Holt, Caroline Cerny, Lorraine Tulloch, Cecile Knai, Modi Mwatsama, Martin White, Hannah Brinsden, Martin McKee, Martin O Flaherty, Ffion Lloyd-Williams, Robert Lustig, Graham MacGregor, Phil James, Mike Rayner, Dary Mozaffarian, Gerard Hastings, Paul Lincoln, Susanne Logstrup, Ann Capewell

FOOD ACT!VE Annual Conference Healthy Weight in All Policies Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era Impact of Brexit on food policy? This Talk What is Brexit? What is a Healthy Diet? Food safety Labelling Food Availability & Prices Opportunities post Brexit?

FOOD ACT!VE Annual Conference This Talk What is Brexit? Healthy Weight in All Policies Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era Impact of Brexit on food policy?

Hard Brexit? Outside EU single market Immigration Barriers Free trade++

Soft Brexit? Access to EU single market Pragmatic Flow of Labour Transition phase Regulated Trade

NO Brexit? EU single market EU safeguards EU workers

FOOD ACT!VE Annual Conference Healthy Weight in All Policies Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era This Talk What is a healthy diet?

Double intake of healthy food

Halve intake of junk food & sugary drinks

Halve intake of red meat & processed meats

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmhealth/465/465.pdf

HSC & Rutter: We need a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy : Fix ALL major pieces of jigsaw Harry Rutter @harryrutter

Preventing Childhood obesity Evidence-Based Actions http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmhealth/465/465.pdf Health Select Committee 2015 Price Promotions Placement of food & drink within retail environment Restrict Marketing to children Reformulation Portion sizes & caps 20% tax on full sugar soft drinks

Preventing Childhood obesity Evidence-Based Actions Health Select Committee 2015 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmhealth/465/465.pdf Price Promotions Placement of food & drink within retail environment Restrict Marketing to children: Reformulation Portion sizes & caps 20% tax on full sugar soft drinks Labelling Nutrition standards in ALL schools Support local authorities & wider public sector Early interventions Calorie reduction (not just sugar) Physical Activity

Food safety? EU safeguards X Free Market deregulation

These 10 Corporations Control Almost All the Food We Buy

These 10 Corporations Control Almost All the Food We Buy Industrial Corporations prioritise PROFIT, not public health

Margaret Chan World Health Organisation WHO Director-General It is not just Big Tobacco anymore. Public health must also contend with Big Food, Big Soda, & Big Alcohol All of these industries fear regulation, and protect themselves by using the same tactics. Research has documented these tactics well. They include front groups, lobbies, lawsuits, promises of self-regulation, & industry-funded research that confuses the evidence and keeps the public in doubt June 2013~ http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2013/health_promotion_20130610/en/

Learning from the battle against tobacco

Tobacco Control 3As : Reduce Affordability Acceptability Availability

Calorie Control 3As : Reduce Affordability Tax, Price, Subsidise healthy options Acceptability Advertising bans, Media Health Food Availability Licence junk retailers, Support healthy outlets

Labels & claims target adults the new junk food marketing to children Made with concentrated fruit juices All natural No artificial colours or flavours 0% trans fat

Food Labelling: GOOD UK Free to impose mandatory Traffic Light Labelling?

Food Labelling: BAD Industry undermines UK Traffic Light Labelling scheme?

Food Availability Market turbulence in short-term Unpredictable shortages & crises

Food Prices Market turbulence in short-term Unpredictable shortages & crises

Opportunities post Brexit? Take back control

Terry Marsden

The implications of Brexit for food are potentially enormous UK food system, consumer tastes & prices have been thoroughly Europeanised. This will be impossible to cut out or back by 2019 without enormous consequences The UK food system faces real challenges on food security

FOOD ACT!VE Annual Conference Healthy Weight in All Policies Why Food Policy is Critical in a Post-Brexit Era Impact of Brexit on food policy Conclusions / Emerging Issues Brexit Uncertainties++: Hard? Soft? Cancelled? Food safety: loss of EU safeguards? US drift? Labelling: technically UK enabling, but will industry undermine? Food Availability & Prices: unpredictable shortages & panics? Opportunities post Brexit? Independence or subservience to multinational corporations?

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