Children: Obesity

Lord Turnberg Excerpts
Thursday 19th April 2018

(6 years, 7 months ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord O'Shaughnessy Portrait Lord O'Shaughnessy
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All I can say is that both my noble friends are excellent examples of slim and fit young men.

Lord Turnberg Portrait Lord Turnberg (Lab)
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I am sure that the Minister is aware that while exercise is very good for children and adults—it improves mental and physical health—it does not do much for obesity. It is food that does the worst. It is not just sugar, it is fat, and ice cream, crisps and chocolates are so appealing to children. Ice cream has twice the calories of sugar. Will he consider how to get that message across?

Lord O'Shaughnessy Portrait Lord O'Shaughnessy
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One thing I noticed at Easter was that Easter eggs seem to have got bigger. I was counting the calories on the Easter egg that my children had. There is a serious point there. It is about reformulation, it is not just about reduced sugar, salt and so on; it is also about smaller portion sizes, and that is a measure that we are tracking as well.