Government is failing to protect public from ultraprocessed foods, says BMA

Ministers are “failing to protect public health” from ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and need to curb aggressive marketing of these products, the BMA has said.The doctors’ union also called on the government to support doctors and other health professionals “to meet increased demand for information on what healthy diets look like.”A new BMA report1 highlights how just five companies (Haribo, Mars, Mondelez, PepsiCo, and Kellogg’s)2 are responsible for over 80% of TV advertising for snacks and confectionery before the 9 pm watershed. This, in combination with excessive industry lobbying of government departments,3 reflects “interest in delaying and preventing crucial food policies,” the BMA claims. As such, it has called on the government to work towards “the inclusion of processing levels in UK regulation.”While there was “a clear association between poor health outcomes and UPF,” the BMA report said, policymakers had been “prevented” from directly including processing levels in current dietary guidelines…