20 Mar 2023 BANT supports Dimbleby’s protest at government’s “insane” inaction against obesity.
Junk food culture mean Brits eat more ultra-processed than real food.
The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) fully supports Henry Dimbleby’s move to step down from his role as government food advisor in protest at the lack of action against obesity and junk food culture. BANT has continually called on the government to improve, not remove its obesity strategy following the 2020 publication of Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy, and expressed dismay at DEFRA’s inadequate white paper response. Dimbleby’s resignation speaks volumes for where ‘obesity’ sits in the government’s current priorities. The NHS is in crisis with strike-action crippling it further, yet the government continually refuses or delays legislation to impose restrictions on the junk-food industry – a key driver of the high UK obesity rates. BANT CEO, Satu Jackson, states “The nation is literally eating itself into a state of avoidable chronic disease, and the government has no policy on prevention”. And in Dimbleby’s words “if the problem is not dealt with, we’re going to be mopping up for years to come”. As BANT recently highlighted, there are not enough GP’s to tackle non-communicable disease and investing in prevention may be the only way to save the NHS.
Author: Claire Sambolino MSc, BANT Communications Manager & Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioner rCNHC
This article was published to Politics Home (PoliticsHome is an indispensable information source for the most influential people in UK politics – including Cabinet ministers, MPs, peers, senior civil servants and Westminster journalists)
View the BANT portal here: https://www.politicshome.com/members/article/bant-supports-dimblebys-protest-governments-insane-inaction-obesity
NOTES TO EDITORS:
BANT is the leading professional body for Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners in one-to-one clinical practice and a self-regulator for BANT Registered Nutritionists®. BANT members combine a network approach to complex systems, incorporating the latest science from genetic, epigenetic, diet and nutrition research to inform individualised recommendations. BANT oversees the activities, training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of its members.
Registered Nutritional Therapists are regulated by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) that holds an Accredited Voluntary Register (AVR) for the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). A report by the Royal Society for Public Health and the Professional Standards Agency made a key recommendation that AVR practitioners have the authority to make direct NHS referrals, in appropriate cases, to ease the administrative burden on GP surgeries. BANT nutrition practitioners are the key workforce asset to harness 21st century lifestyle medicine to tackle the rising tide of stress-related fatigue, obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, dementia and other chronic diseases.
To find a BANT nutrition practitioner, please click here
BANT WELLBEING GUIDELINES:
The BANT Wellbeing Guidelines are specifically designed to provide clear, easy to understand general information for healthy diet and lifestyle when personalised advice is not available.
BANT launched it’s 2021 Food for your Health campaign to tackle diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysregulation and combat the junk food culture by promoting healthy food and lifestyle choices. We offer a range of free, open-access resources, and have a network of over 3,500 Nutrition Practitioners throughout the UK.
