David Buck, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, responded to the published government obesity plan 

‘This plan is more a minor skirmish than a war on obesity.

‘Obesity has significant consequences for individuals, the NHS, the economy and society – tackling it requires the use of every tool in the box. While the measures announced yesterday are a positive step forward, most of them are long overdue and do not add up to a comprehensive strategy.

‘The plan includes some welcome measures including calorie labelling and curbs on unhealthy food advertising. However, it fails to build on the success of the smoking ban and the sugary drinks levy in using stronger tax and regulation to promote healthier food and encourage food reformulation. The government has also shied away from giving councils stronger planning powers, for example, to curb the number of fast-food outlets near schools, and has not provided additional funding to local authorities to implement local weight-loss initiatives, despite cuts to public health budgets that have forced councils to scale back these services.

‘Some politicians and commentators may baulk at the idea of the ‘nanny state’, but when presented with specific actions, polling shows that the public are supportive of stronger government intervention.’