Assembly backs quality food plan to cut obesity figuresOct 18 2006
Western Mail
The Assembly Government is to take steps to improve the nation's diet, including introducing classroom lessons in healthy food, following the adoption of a 'Quality of Food' strategy yesterday.
The scheme to tackle childhood obesity, tabled by the Liberal Democrats, gained cross-party support during plenary session.
Under the terms of the strategy, the Assembly Government will be asked to produce a range of policies such as putting lessons in nutrition and cooking healthy food on the national curriculum.
Health Minister Brian Gibbons backed the motion which also demands more nutritious school dinners and hospital meals.
It calls for healthy-eating schemes in poor areas, a cut in pesticides and a drive to encourage people to eat and grow more organic food.
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Speaking in support of the motion, Mick Bates, Liberal Democrat AM for Montgomeryshire, said, 'For far too long, we've had an industrial junk food culture in Britain.
'What we need is an agenda that says local food is miles better.'
Mike German, the Liberal Democrat leader in the Assembly, said urgent action was needed to reduce levels of childhood obesity.
'In Wales we have greater obesity than in any other part of the UK,' said Mr German.
'Unfortunately what we are faced with is that our children are not only the fattest in Britain, but also the fattest in Europe.'
He added, 'We have to look at the consequences for health that have been drawn by changes in lifestyle.'
During the debate, Dr Gibbons drew attention to programmes already underway to address concern that parents no longer pass on healthy eating habits to their children.
He said, 'It's true that unhealthy diets do contribute significantly to the growth of obesity in Wales.'
He added that a lack of regular exercise had a major part to play in the nation's health problems.
Amendments asking for action to reduce so-called food miles - the distance food travels from the producer to the supermarket shelf - and a survey to assess the implications of providing 'adequate time and space' for pupils to eat their food, failed.
The minority Assembly Government has until next April to come up with the 'Quality of Food' strategy.
Obesity in Wales 
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