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The Government should impose a tax on “poisonous” ultra-processed foods, according to a leading food expert.
Foods should have stickers warning that they can cause people to overeat by 25 percent, according to Professor Tim Spector of King’s College London.
The open recommendations were made at an event held by the Royal Society in London, called Advancing the Science of Human Nutrition.
Professor Spector said: “If I were in charge, I would ban any health claims on ultra-processed foods.”
“I think it’s absolutely hypocritical to make claims about the health of ultra-processed foods, like ‘this will help your immune system’ or ‘a source of calcium’ or ‘extra protein,’ when you’re simply giving people poisonous foods. make them sick.
The Government should impose a tax on “poisonous” ultra-processed foods, according to a leading food expert. Foods should have stickers warning that they can cause people to overeat by 25 per cent, according to Professor Tim Spector (pictured) of King’s College London.
The expert stated that the ‘sugar tax’ that the Government applies to carbonated drinks should be extended to ultra-processed foods, which are made with ingredients that are not found in a typical kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, and include cereals. , flavored yogurts and chips (pictured)
The expert stated that the ‘sugar tax’ that the Government applies to carbonated drinks should be extended to ultra-processed foods, which are made with ingredients that are not found in a typical kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, and include cereals. , flavored yogurts and chips.
He said: “I would tax ultra-processed foods, increase the successful sugar tax and use it to subsidize fruits and vegetables.”
There is evidence to suggest that ultra-processed foods (UPF), typically high in calories, salt, sugar and fat, can cause people to overeat, consume more calories and gain more weight.
Some experts have claimed that they overload people’s appetite and disrupt signals from the gut to the brain that tell us when we are full, although others dispute this.
Professor Spector described a “special combination of things” in the way UPFs are made, which causes people to overeat by 25 per cent.
He said, ‘That data is out there, go and refute it.’ Until then, we should treat this as a dangerous way of producing food as it correlates with poor health.
“And we should slowly start taking care of the ones we know are unhealthy and put a little sticker on them that says, ‘beware: this will make you overeat by 25 percent, by all means eat it, but stop costing yourself a lot to the health service’. of money.’
Professor Spector, co-founder of personalized nutrition company ZOE, aims to reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods from almost 60 percent to less than 15 percent, the level seen in southern Europe.
The Royal Society event also featured a keynote speech by former government food adviser Henry Dimbleby, who attacked the government for its inaction on food and poor health.
He said: “We have a Prime Minister who, for his own aesthetic, I think almost personal, would prefer to try to deal with smoking, which he considers bad, although it is now a small problem and one that is disappearing. Instead of food, because he likes it drink Coke, Coke with all the sugar, so he’s not interested.
Dimbleby, co-founder of the León restaurant chain, also criticized the possible conflict of interest of the new Minister of Health, Victoria Atkins, since her husband, Paul Kenward, is general director of British Sugar, when food is “one of the bigger problems than faces’.
The food campaigner said he had decided to “pretty much” stop the national campaign and focus on schools, which can help people learn to cook healthy food.