Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Blasts Tories For Doing ‘Nothing’ To Tackle Obesity

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has accused the Conservatives of getting performed “nothing” to deal with weight problems throughout their 14 years in energy.

The superstar chef stated voters ought to be”very cautious” of any guarantees made by Tory ministers within the run-up to the election.

It got here as Fearnley-Whittingstall challenged well being secretary Victoria Atkins immediately on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

“Treating weight problems is the one largest value to the NHS,” he informed her. “You’ve performed subsequent to nothing to assist this ailing, struggling, sick residents of the UK to search out more healthy meals. Subsequent to nothing about it.”

Atkins stated she had solely been within the job for 3 months and can be setting out a prevention technique” that may “in fact will embrace weight problems”.

“Over the approaching weeks, you will notice the federal government set out our plans,” she stated.

In response, presenter Laura Kuenssberg listed a number of occasions the federal government had determined to not act together with delaying a ban on multi-buy offers on meals and drinks excessive in fats and salt a pre-watershed TV and on-line advert ban on junk meals.

Fearnley-Whittingstall stated there have been a “entire raft of coverage levers” the federal government ought to be utilizing.

“In the event that they have been severe about tackling weight problems they’d be pulling all of them,” he stated. “They’ve performed nothing they haven’t made tiny dent. ”

The chef additionally revealed chancellor Jeremy Hunt “really bodily ran away” from him in 2018 when he was making an attempt to interview the then-heath secretary for a BBC documentary about weight problems.

He stated having lastly agreed to an interview, Hunt had promised to cut back childhood weight problems within the UK by 50%. “I might say be very cautious of a Tory minister promising to cut back something by 50%,” Fearnley-Whittingstall added.