英国强制要求减少食物卡路里,只因.....
HEALTH chiefs plan to slash the calories in family favourites like pizza, burgers, crisps and ready meals by a fifth to battle Britain's bulging waistlines. Public Health England says food firms must either use less fattening ingredients or cut product sizes to help beat obesity. Supermarkets, manufacturers and high street chains such as McDonald’s will be expected to hit the 20 per cent target in the next five years. But critics yesterday said the PHE drive is nanny state madness — and predicted shoppers will be ripped off as manufacturers cut sizes without reducing prices. Christopher Snowdon, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “The nanny state zealots at PHE have lost the plot. “The only way companies can meet these targets is by shrinking products. We’ve seen this happen with chocolate bars and other sugary treats. “Now the Great British Rip Off is being extended to all food products.”PHE says children eat up to 500 too many calories a day — equivalent to an extra meal. And two in three adults and one in three children are too fat, costing the NHS at least £6billion annually. PHE says if the 20 per cent reduction is met by 2024, 35,000 lives could be saved over the next 25 years. It is targeting 13 popular foods that are not already in the Government’s sugar reduction programme. Officials have hinted food firms who do not slim down their products could be hit by taxes or new regulations. PHE's chief nutritionist Dr Alison Tedstone said: “We have moved on from obesity affecting a small section of society, it is the norm now.” |