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CFT urges May to prioritise childhood obesity strategy

14 Jul 2016
The Children’s Food Trust has urged new PM Theresa May to make publishing the childhood obesity strategy one of her priorities.

Writing in a blog post, CEO Linda Cregan, said: “This has been delayed for far too long and all the while, children’s nutritional health isn’t improving. With around one in five children starting school overweight or obese and our children failing to eat enough fruit and vegetables and too much fat, sugar and salt, we’ve never been more in need of the ‘game-changing’ actions promised in this strategy by David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt.

“We can’t miss this opportunity to bring together efforts across all government departments, councils, communities, industry, schools, nurseries and at home to get children eating better – the costs to children’s health (and our NHS) are too great.

Other priorities for May include paying close attention to the ongoing consultation about the rules governing junk food advertising to children online and to measure the impact of free meals for all infants for children’s nutrition, performance at school and our economy.

She wrote: "As a scheme with huge potential for children’s public health, it just makes sense that government should want to scrutinise this evidence.

"Make sure we use Universal Credit reform as a way to simplify the free school meals registration system – making sure children who most need a free meal at school are getting one, and that Pupil Premium money gets to the children it’s designed to support."

Theresa May took office officially yesterday, following David Cameron’s resignation in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. May is currently busy readying her cabinet, which already includes Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd.