Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which obesity levels in England can be reduced, and (2) whether any such reduction can be driven by government action; and what steps they are taking to reduce levels of obesity in England.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and raising the healthiest generation of children ever.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and published impact assessments, obesity can be reduced over time through sustained improvements in diet at the population level.

The Government is taking bold action to address the obesity crisis. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are consulting on applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model to the existing advertising and promotions restrictions for less healthy food and drink. Illustrative modelling published alongside the consultation suggests this could prevent almost 520,000 cases of adult obesity and over 110,000 cases of childhood obesity over time. We also announced a world first to introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for all large food businesses, which could reduce approximately 340,000 cases of childhood obesity, although these figures are provisional and subject to refinement through subsequent impact assessments. This is alongside existing action to restrict junk food advertising on television and online and to give councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools.