Fans of Professor Tim Spector have been quick to react after he issued a stark warning on Friday. The professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London took to Instagram to discuss a recently-published health report.
He said: “There’s no denying it. Our food system is broken—and it’s making us sick”, before going on to explain that he was invited to to give evidence to the UK’s House of Lords Committee on Food, Diet and Obesity last year. His words formed part of their “Recipe for Health: A Plan to Fix Our Broken Food System” report.
Prof Spector continued: “The findings were stark but not surprising: ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are fuelling an epidemic of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other diet-related conditions, with two-thirds of UK adults overweight and one-third classified as obese. The report makes it clear that voluntary measures have failed.
“It’s time for bold, systemic action to address the dominance of UPFs and the food industry’s focus on profits over public health.” Sharing his recommendations, the nutritional expert wants to see the Government to introduce “warning labels on UPFs, expanding the sugar tax to a wider range of products, reducing UPF consumption in schools and hospitals to below 10%, and mandating industry-wide reformulation to make healthier food the norm.”
He added: “The Lords took these recommendations seriously, but Big Food’s resistance is inevitable. The UK government is expected to respond before the end of January, and it’s crucial we hold them accountable.”
Prof Spector has 680,000 followers on the social media platform, and many have been quick to react to his latest post. One wrote: “Other industries have to jump through hoops to meet regulatory standards but not food? Makes no sense.”
A second said: “Just stay OUT of supermarkets. Go to butchers, bakers and green grocers and get your milk delivered. Simple!” A third added: “They are always cheaper than healthy food. Healthy food has become a luxury”.