Junk food chains ‘share the blame’ for the severity of the coroanvirus pandemic, docs argue

JUNK food chains that serve up unhealthy meals must “share the blame” for the obesity crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, doctors have claimed.

Experts have urged the government to push the food industry to introduce restrictions on the promotion of unhealthy foods.

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It comes as various studies revealed that people with obesity were at a higher risk of dying from the coronavirus.

While other experts urged the government to consider weight loss surgery as a solution to the pandemic.

So far in the UK, Covid-19 has killed over 41,000 people and experts have said the government must “seize this opportunity”.

In an editorial published in the British Medical Journal, co-author of the study and professor of cardiovascular medicine at Barts and The London Hospital, Graham MacGregor said restrictions could reduce fatalities.

"Unlike most other risk factors identified for Covid-19 such as age, sex and ethnicity - obesity is a modifiable risk factor.

"This is why governments worldwide must seize the opportunity to help people to eat more healthily and enforce measures to restrict the promotion, marketing, and advertising of unhealthy foods and ensure their reformulation to contain far less salt, sugar and saturated fat.

"This would reduce mortality from this vicious virus and many other chronic diseases."

The researchers also noted that 78 per cent of confirmed Covid infections in the UK were made up of people who were overweight.

This is while 62 per cent of deaths in hospitals were also from people who were overweight.

Obesity can lead to a number of other serious conditions such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.

As the virus started to creep into the UK in March and rumours of a lockdown started to circulate, many people started to panic buy.

Government has "done little"

This left shelves in supermarkets across the country empty.

Researchers said that this, combined with an increase in food poverty limited the access people had to fresh foods.

“This tilts the balance towards a greater consumption of highly processed foods and those with long shelf lives that are usually high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat".

The authors claimed the food industry was given a huge free marketing opportunity by the pandemic.

They added that the government has “done little” to combat obesity across the country, despite a sugar tax having been introduced.

The researchers wrote: "Reducing salt, sugar, and saturated fat across the board would improve the diet of the entire population and bring even greater benefits for people who are most socially deprived.

"The toll of morbidity and mortality from Covid-19 has made this more apparent and more urgent than ever."

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said Prof MacGregor’s views on the food industry are well known.

Chief operating officer Tim Rycroft said: "To blame the food industry for the Covid-19 mortality rate is deeply offensive.

"Millions of key workers across the supply chain have continued to work throughout this pandemic and are hidden heroes, keeping Britain fed."

He added that manufacturers are fully engaged with a wide range of government-led initiatives designed to tackle the huge public health challenge of obesity. 

"FDF members’ voluntary work is already delivering substantial changes.

"Compared to four years ago, FDF member products contribute 11 per cent less calories, 11 per cent fewer sugars, and 14 per cent less salt to the average shopping basket".

He said the government needs to invest money in specific measures to support people and areas that are most affected by obesity.

"We believe a whole lifestyle approach will be most effective, focusing on how we achieve a balanced diet and keep active, and not on any single nutrient.”