A BBC Radio 4 interview on Friday morning with Iceland boss Richard Walker showcased why tackling the UK’s obesity problem will be a herculean task. Because as long as the overriding interest is financial profit, and not people’s lives, then nothing will improve.
As part of the government’s sweeping changes to how unhealthy food is sold, from this weekend certain shops in England won’t be allowed to stock junk food near tills, in some aisles or at the front door.
Considering the current levels of obesity, a four-year-old, or anyone with weak will power (most of us), could explain why these measures make sense.
But whilst discussing them, Richard Walker was having none of it. He twice lambasted not being able to display junk food in certain areas of his supermarket as “madness”, saying it would lose Iceland money. No awareness, apparently, of the long-term costs of obesity, and how junk food is multiple times more expensive than unprocessed food. No mention of how his customers may be struggling with their weight.
Whilst Iceland has a budget-conscious clientele, affluence is associated with better health and being less likely to be overweight. Any high street in Britain will show how the obesity problem is headed into an emergency stage. Two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity, one in three children leave school overweight or obese, with weight-related illness costing the NHS £6bn a year.
So I found it quite amazing to hear Mr Walker’s response. This just shows the extent of the issue: it is impossible to make the right choices when the modern environment is set up to lure you into constantly making the wrong ones.
But with these new rules, knowing where the dangerous products are means you can avoid them. If I want to buy some sweets I will meander along the treat aisle. But if I don’t, and it is placed all over the shop, it is incredibly hard not to pop some into my trolley.
The supermarket is far from the worst culprit, though. I was in Derby airport a few weeks ago with my family and our main food choice was between donuts and burgers. But that’s another article.
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Mr Walker claims it will make no difference where products are placed in a supermarket, but he will be well versed in the science of persuading people to buy things. When you land in the door of a supermarket, this is what is known as the “decompression zone’’ where customers size up their surroundings and settle into their shopping experience. This is why you are blasted with treats and multi-packs here. And near the till is peak pressure time for parents who are trying to get out of the shop without a tantrum. Or if alone, it’s a red light zone for the last-minute “treat yourself” impulse buy.
Anyway, the 2018 sugar tax did make a difference so these policy changes can help. Research from Cambridge University found that in the year after it was introduced, sugar consumption fell by 10 per cent and many manufacturers cut down on sugar in their recipes. I know my 14-year-old won’t buy a fizzy drink if he only has a certain amount of cash. He often gets water now instead.
Just like with climate change, we must avoid taking the path of least resistance. A collective effort is needed, but Mr Walker’s comments show that making money is still more important to too many people than the nation’s health.
