| And in response to the criticism, the government said the following:
Govt: Enormous progress made on obesity
Thursday, 25 Jan 2007 11:48
Health minister Caroline Flint has defended the government's record on tackling child obesity, after a new select committee report accused it of "dithering and confusion" over the issue.
"The evidence on which this report is based was gathered in 2005 and early 2006. In the interim we have achieved an enormous amount. This is the result of a highly co-ordinated approach," she said.
Government strategies were working, she insisted. For example, food labelling had become clearer and junk food adverts would be banned during children's television shows.
The five-a –day campaign had led to an increase in the amount of fruit and vegetables purchased, Ms Flint said.
But she warned: "There are no easy answers or quick fix solutions. Changing behaviour requires long-term action on a number of fronts and that is what we are putting in place."
The committee recommended more involvement of parents, which Ms Flint accepted and said: "Our initial focus is on families not just children."
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