First Minister committed to tackling childhood obesity

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set a new target to cut child obesity in Scotland by half by 2030. At present, 29% of children in Scotland are at risk of being overweight, and 14% are at risk of having obesity. The Scottish government is to set the new target in a healthy weight and diet plan, due to be published in the summer, and it is also to include action to restrict promotions and advertising of junk food, including multi-buy deals on unhealthy products.

We are delighted that the First Minister has demonstrated her commitment to tackling childhood obesity in Scotland with a bold target. We will need strong and comprehensive actions to realise this ambition. The forthcoming plan must contain mandatory controls to restrict the promotion and marketing of foods high in fat, sugar and salt and improvements to the out of home sector so that we can ensure that healthy choices are affordable and accessible to everyone.