Demi
Sun, Jun-06-04, 04:20
Following on from last week's report in the UK with reagrd to childhood obesity, I have just come across this interesting article in the Sunday Times:
BRITAIN’S biggest food companies are to be told by the government to pay an “anti-obesity” levy to fund new sports centres or face punitive laws restricting advertising, marketing and labelling.
Firms such as McDonald’s, Walkers and Cadbury Schweppes are to be asked to contribute tens of millions of pounds towards the sports facilities. The government is set to provide £1m for the scheme for every £3m pledged by the food industry. It will be used to build sports centres, gyms, football pitches and tennis courts.
The food industry confirmed this weekend that it was preparing to co-operate with ministers and could provide hundreds of millions of pounds to fend off regulation.
Last week the government suggested it was considering banning junk food adverts during children’s television programmes, although this is now unlikely.
The latest proposal, to establish a National Foundation for Sport funded primarily by private firms, is revealed in leaked cabinet documents passed to The Sunday Times. The main food industry groups, including the Food and Drink Federation and British Retail Consortium, are due to meet ministers this week to discuss the plans.
Minutes of a ministerial meeting between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Treasury detail the government’s determination to extract financial backing from the junk-food firms.
“The National Foundation for Sport was a proposed initiative . . . to raise money for sport through sponsorship and donations from business,”said the minutes.
“DCMS would produce a more worked-up proposal for investment in sports facilities. This could include a proposal for business to contribute to the investment, with the Exchequer matching private funding. For example, for every £3 of private investment, government could contribute a further £1.”
The meeting was told by Tessa Jowell, the culture minister, that the food industry had already been asked to come forward with ideas for promoting a healthy lifestyle if they want to avoid stricter regulation”.
Paul Boateng, a Treasury minister, said securing a “significant contribution” from the private sector for the sports centre scheme was “attractive”.
Yesterday Martin Paterson, deputy director-general of the Food and Drink Federation, said his members were likely to participate in the scheme.
“As an industry we are already encouraging people to take more exercise by supporting community initiatives,” he said. “We would certainly be willing to discuss this idea. Manufacturers have hundreds of millions to spend on this sort of project.”
The move comes after the Commons health select committee criticised food manufacturers for “cynical” promotions using text messages to target children’s mobile phones with advertisements for sweets and snacks.
Children were being encouraged to text a number or a word to see if they have won a prize under campaigns that have been run by companies such as Masterfoods, the maker of Mars bars, Walkers Snacks, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. The companies could then send back promotional information and retain the sender’s number.
Last month a parliamentary select committee condemned the government’s failure to tackle Britain’s soaring levels of obesity caused by bad diets and “couch-potato” lifestyles. Britain has the fastest-growing obesity rate in Europe, with three-quarters of adults overweight or obese and about 10% of children “clinically obese”.
Next month the government will announce a new target to halt the rise in child obesity. The health and education departments will pledge to stop any further increases in levels of obesity for 11-year-olds.
Ministers hope the new privately sponsored sports facilities will form a key plank in this autumn’s public health white paper. It will also encourage donations from firms not involved in the food or drink industry.
The documents reveal that the DCMS is close to securing £40m from Barclays to finance grassroots football.
The government has been criticised for failing to encourage children to do more exercise and for sanctioning the sale of school playing fields.
The documents reveal it is missing its “school sport target” of ensuring 75% of children participate in two hours a week of sport or physical education. Currently just 38% of children meet the target.
The DCMS confirmed last night that the scheme was being considered.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1136102,00.html
BRITAIN’S biggest food companies are to be told by the government to pay an “anti-obesity” levy to fund new sports centres or face punitive laws restricting advertising, marketing and labelling.
Firms such as McDonald’s, Walkers and Cadbury Schweppes are to be asked to contribute tens of millions of pounds towards the sports facilities. The government is set to provide £1m for the scheme for every £3m pledged by the food industry. It will be used to build sports centres, gyms, football pitches and tennis courts.
The food industry confirmed this weekend that it was preparing to co-operate with ministers and could provide hundreds of millions of pounds to fend off regulation.
Last week the government suggested it was considering banning junk food adverts during children’s television programmes, although this is now unlikely.
The latest proposal, to establish a National Foundation for Sport funded primarily by private firms, is revealed in leaked cabinet documents passed to The Sunday Times. The main food industry groups, including the Food and Drink Federation and British Retail Consortium, are due to meet ministers this week to discuss the plans.
Minutes of a ministerial meeting between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Treasury detail the government’s determination to extract financial backing from the junk-food firms.
“The National Foundation for Sport was a proposed initiative . . . to raise money for sport through sponsorship and donations from business,”said the minutes.
“DCMS would produce a more worked-up proposal for investment in sports facilities. This could include a proposal for business to contribute to the investment, with the Exchequer matching private funding. For example, for every £3 of private investment, government could contribute a further £1.”
The meeting was told by Tessa Jowell, the culture minister, that the food industry had already been asked to come forward with ideas for promoting a healthy lifestyle if they want to avoid stricter regulation”.
Paul Boateng, a Treasury minister, said securing a “significant contribution” from the private sector for the sports centre scheme was “attractive”.
Yesterday Martin Paterson, deputy director-general of the Food and Drink Federation, said his members were likely to participate in the scheme.
“As an industry we are already encouraging people to take more exercise by supporting community initiatives,” he said. “We would certainly be willing to discuss this idea. Manufacturers have hundreds of millions to spend on this sort of project.”
The move comes after the Commons health select committee criticised food manufacturers for “cynical” promotions using text messages to target children’s mobile phones with advertisements for sweets and snacks.
Children were being encouraged to text a number or a word to see if they have won a prize under campaigns that have been run by companies such as Masterfoods, the maker of Mars bars, Walkers Snacks, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. The companies could then send back promotional information and retain the sender’s number.
Last month a parliamentary select committee condemned the government’s failure to tackle Britain’s soaring levels of obesity caused by bad diets and “couch-potato” lifestyles. Britain has the fastest-growing obesity rate in Europe, with three-quarters of adults overweight or obese and about 10% of children “clinically obese”.
Next month the government will announce a new target to halt the rise in child obesity. The health and education departments will pledge to stop any further increases in levels of obesity for 11-year-olds.
Ministers hope the new privately sponsored sports facilities will form a key plank in this autumn’s public health white paper. It will also encourage donations from firms not involved in the food or drink industry.
The documents reveal that the DCMS is close to securing £40m from Barclays to finance grassroots football.
The government has been criticised for failing to encourage children to do more exercise and for sanctioning the sale of school playing fields.
The documents reveal it is missing its “school sport target” of ensuring 75% of children participate in two hours a week of sport or physical education. Currently just 38% of children meet the target.
The DCMS confirmed last night that the scheme was being considered.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1136102,00.html