The BMA report, Improving the nation's health: the impact of ultra-processed food, reveals that on average, 66% of children's daily energy intake comes from ultra-processed foods and over 70% of school lunches - whether prepared at home or at school - are made up of these products. These dietary patterns are contributing to rising rates of overweight and obesity, with over 35% of 10-11-year-olds and 64% of adults in England classified as overweight or obese.
Professor David Strain, BMA Board of Science chair, and Dr Heather Grimbaldeston, BMA Public Health Medicine Committee chair, said: ‘Relying on voluntary measures has failed, and responsibility cannot be placed solely on families when unhealthy food is so heavily promoted and long-promised protections for children have been repeatedly delayed.
‘While we welcome the recent implementation of some mandatory TV and online advertising restrictions, these do not go far enough. The Government must go further to regulate the marketing and availability of unhealthy foods, while ensuring healthier, minimally processed foods are accessible and affordable for all.
‘Stronger regulation must be combined with public education about what a healthy diet looks like and continued investment in high-quality research. Without urgent action, unhealthy diets will continue to make children unnecessarily ill, widen health inequalities, and add further pressure to an overstretched NHS.'
Dr Kath McCullough, Royal College of Physicians special adviser on obesity, added: ‘The Royal College of Physicians is clear that obesity is a chronic, systemic illness shaped by social and commercial determinants of health and that we need bold action to fix our broken food system.
'We strongly support the calls for decisive regulation to curb aggressive marketing of foods high in fat, salt and sugar on television, online and on billboards (particularly near schools), to expand access to healthier foods, and ensure equitable access to effective weight management support. Medication or clinical care alone will not be enough. Government must act urgently to reshape the food environment to make healthy choices the easy choice for everyone.'
