The celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, has advocated for the protection of children from junk food advertising. This idea was endorsed by Henry Dimbleby, a British businessman and co-founder of the food chain Leon. Speaking at the Future of Britain conference, Oliver outlined his three priorities for improving the health of British children.
Firstly, he highlighted London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to make school meals accessible to all primary-aged students across England by 2023/24. This policy, which will be funded by additional business rates income, is estimated to support around 270,000 primary school students and save London families approximately £440 per child annually. Oliver believes that this initiative should be replicated nationwide.
Oliver stressed the importance of providing free school meals to the most vulnerable children in the country. He urged politicians to take action and emphasized that it is a straightforward solution.
In addition to free school meals, Oliver called for children to be shielded from junk food advertising. He also expressed his desire for every child to leave school equipped with the knowledge of how to cook ten essential recipes.
During the discussion, Oliver criticized the impact of energy drinks on children’s health. Despite warning labels stating that these beverages should not be sold to children, he discovered a concerning number of children consuming them for breakfast during his visits to schools. Oliver warned that energy drinks can impair cognitive abilities and highlighted the urgent need for intervention.
The celebrity chef argued that voluntary action from the food sector is ineffective, and stronger governmental intervention is required. He highlighted the relentless advertising targeted at school children on TV and online platforms and called for stricter regulations on marketing campaigns.
Henry Dimbleby, who produced a National Food Strategy for the UK Government, echoed Oliver’s sentiments, emphasizing the need for government intervention in regulating the advertising market and addressing the flaws in Britain’s food system.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
