Jamie Oliver has accused Theresa May of letting down young people and parents, in a strongly worded attack on the government’s “travesty” of a plan to tackle childhood obesity.
The chef said he would be “really, really annoying” for the rest of this parliament as a result of Theresa May’s “unforgiveable” failure to introduce strong enough measures.
“Everything about the childhood obesity strategy that’s just come out is a complete stinking herring. It’s a terrible job Theresa May’s done there,” Oliver told the Radio Times.
“She’s completely let every child in Britain down, let parents down, everyone has been let down. The stuff on the shelf with her predecessor [David Cameron] was going to be much more robust.”
The stories you need to read, in one handy email
Read more
The chef has campaigned on children’s nutrition issues since his 2005 Channel 4 series Jamie’s School Dinners. He is scathing about the planned sugar tax being the only element of the childhood obesity “plan of action” published last month that will force food companies to change their practices.
“If you look at the strategy, the only thing that’s mandatory – and I can honestly tell you that I put it there – is the sugary drink tax … Take that out, there’s nothing [else],” he said.
Oliver railed against the government’s decision to step back from using regulation, such as the plan’s failure to limit junk food advertising or ban promotion of sweets at supermarket checkouts.
“It’s the same old bull. And the same old bull hasn’t worked for 20 years. And it was done when they were all on holiday, in August. It just means ‘don’t care, don’t care, don’t care, get it under the radar.’ It’s a travesty,” he added.
He and fellow obesity campaigners intend to “be really, really annoying for the whole [parliamentary] term. But I do think British parents don’t want to hear bad news all the time. People just want stuff to be fixed,” he said.
The Department of Health declined to respond directly to Oliver’s comments. But it maintained that its plan was a world leader in combating obesity. “We are fully committed to reducing childhood obesity and are confident our world-leading plan will make a real difference to help reverse a problem that has been decades in the making. This is the start of a conversation and we haven’t ruled out further measures if we do not see the progress we need,” a spokesman said.
The Children’s Food Campaign, an alliance of health, children’s and education groups, backed Oliver. “Jamie is spot on. Many parents, teachers and health professionals have been in touch with us to express their anger at the weaknesses of the childhood obesity plan,” said its co-ordinator Malcolm Clark.
He added: “The food industry has embarked on a war against the academic evidence and the government’s own public health advice. Sadly, on many aspects – including marketing and price promotions – the government sided with them.”