Ben Coleman

Ben Coleman

Labour — Chelsea and Fulham

Speaking in the House of Commons on 20 January 2025

Debate

Obesity: Food and Diet

Contribution

The right hon. Member makes an excellent point that I will come to in a moment. The additives that cause so much harm today have simpler names: sugar, salt and fats. In moderation, all of those are fine, but the problem is that they are being shoved into our food willy-nilly in an effort to preserve it and—on the right hon. Member’s point—to make it cheap, alongside making it more addictive by design. As a result, we have what the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee’s report rightly describes as a public health emergency. We now have one of the highest rates of obesity among high-income nations. Only tobacco shortens British lives more than poor diet.

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