Fat Britain Is 'Dereliction Of Duty' By Government

Fat Britain Is 'Dereliction Of Duty' By Government:
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has been accused of a "dereliction of duty" in his efforts to tackle Britain's growing obesity problem by one of his former public health advisers.

Professor Simon Capewell, who served on Mr Lansley's Public Health Commission while in opposition, said the minister had "moved Britain back" in terms of public health since the general election two years ago.

He labelled the Government's Responsibility Deal as "a pantomime" and said the plan to work together with manufacturers to introduce voluntary cuts to fat, sugar and salt levels in food was like "putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank".

In an interview with The Independent, Prof Capewell, a member of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges committee on obesity, said: "Andrew Lansley, in my opinion, is guilty of a gross dereliction of duty in relation to public health.

"He has actually moved Britain back in terms of public health from where we were before he was elected.

"He has officiated over a responsibility deal which is a pantomime - and has been a huge public relations coup for the industry."

The Responsibility Deal, launched in March last year, encourages companies to voluntarily help to improve the health of the nation by labelling food in restaurants with calorie counts and reduce saturated fat, salt and sugar in products.

However consumer group Which? reported earlier this year that only a handful of the top 10 restaurants and pub groups had agreed to provide calorie information on menus.

In its report into the Responsibility Deal, the House of Commons Health Select Committee concluded it was "unconvinced" that it would be "effective in resolving issues such as obesity".

It called on the Department of Health (DoH) to set out clearly how progress will be monitored and tougher regulation applied if necessary.

Prof Capewell told the Independent: "Even a moment of reflection should show that this is a spectacular conflict of interest.

"It is breathtaking that when deciding on public health policy in relation to food you should be sitting around the table with the very people who make large amounts of money from selling this stuff."

But a DoH spokesman said: "In the last decade, Britain had some of the fastest rising obesity rates in Europe and successive attempts have failed to tackle them.

"The Responsibility Deal has delivered far more action, more quickly than before and more than could have been achieved through regulation in that time.

"We have shown real leadership, working in partnership with industry to find an approach that delivers results.

"We are seeing the results in our everyday lives - calories on menus in our high streets, less salt in the food we buy and artificial trans fats are being taken out of food. This is helping people around the country to live healthier lives."

The DoH pointed out that more than 70% of fast food and takeaway meals sold on the high street will have calories clearly labelled by the end of this year.

Every major supermarket chain has committed to removing artificial trans fats and promoting alcohol unit awareness in their stores, it added.

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Thank you, Ian [Editor]  

Explore How Isaac Storm Surge Could Flood Tampa, RNC

Explore How Isaac Storm Surge Could Flood Tampa, RNC:
By Climate Central

Click image for interactive

Tropical Storm Isaac is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane over the next few days, just in time for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Tampa.
While it’s still too early to predict if it will directly hit Tampa, even a mere sideswipe of the storm could cause huge problems for people in the Tampa Bay area, conventioneers, included. That’s because Tampa is especially vulnerable to storm surge, the wall of water hurricanes and tropical storms push ahead of them.

This interactive, based on research done by Climate Central, shows how much of the Tampa Bay area lies below storm surges of different heights as measured in feet above high tide (use the slider to select a number and the location of the Republican Convention is marked on the map). The 100-year flood level is 6.5 feet above the high-tide line, which would cause major flooding.
As a comparison, the devastating surge caused by an unnamed hurricane in 1921 — the last direct hit on the bay — reached 10.5 feet. In 1921, however, sea level was, on average, about 8 inches lower than it is today. That means that the same storm striking today would make the surge that much higher.
The risk for Tampa and other coastal cities all over the nation – and all over the world -- will keep growing in the future, as climate change continues to drive up sea level.


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OFT welcomes action by NHS trusts to ensure compliance with competition law

OFT welcomes action by NHS trusts to ensure compliance with competition law: Eight NHS Hospital Trusts have given voluntary assurances to the OFT that they will no longer exchange commercially sensitive information about their Private Patient Unit prices, to ensure they comply with competition law.

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Weekday Vegetarian: Sesame Green Beans

Weekday Vegetarian: Sesame Green Beans:
An Asian sauce is a simple way to turn leftovers into something delicious.

This is our opinion and feelings about the the posts added to this blog by ourselves and writers who have asked to write on our blog network and does not necessarily represent our agreement or disagreement with the writers concerned.Please add #SpecialOcassion to your tweets and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/SpecialOcassion for quality food and hospitality Thank you, Chris {Chef}

Why PepsiCo is Fighting GMO Labeling in California

Why PepsiCo is Fighting GMO Labeling in California:
The nation’s largest peddler of soda and junk food has the most at stake in ballot measure.

Ed says!
Why Pepsico is fighting GMO labeling in California!
 
PepsiCo brands span five divisions: Pepsi-Cola, Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Tropicana, and Quaker. While most consumers probably think of processed snacks and cereal-type products when trying to avoid foods containing GMOs, beverages are also a major culprit (which explains why Coca-Cola has donated more than $61,000 to the No on 37 campaign).

Over 85% of all corn in the US is genetically modified and a significant number of products supplied by them contains corn!   

This is our opinion and feelings about the the posts added to this blog by ourselves and writers who have asked to write on our blog network and does not necessarily represent our agreement or disagreement with the writers concerned.Please add #AceHealthNews to your tweets and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/AceHealthNews and quality healthcare. Thank you, Ian

5 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy Projects Fast-Tracked by Obama Administration

5 Gigawatts of Renewable Energy Projects Fast-Tracked by Obama Administration:
Located across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Wyoming the projects will power 1.5 million homes -- and include a massive 3 GW wind farm.

" The Roving Giraffe News Report " provided through Ace News Service

Fracking to Get Green Light in New York by Labor Day

Fracking to Get Green Light in New York by Labor Day:
The final regulations are yet to be determined, but here's a glimpse at how fracking will soon start in New York State. The future was green and soon these fracker's will poison us and kill our green and pleasant land!

This is our opinion and feelings about the the posts added to this blog by ourselves and writers who have asked to write on our blog network and does not necessarily represent our agreement or disagreement with the writers concerned.Please add #AceHealthNews to your tweets and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/AceHealthNews and quality healthcare. Thank you, Ian