Dame Sally Davies says Prime Minister Boris Johnson is WRONG

Should eating on public transport be banned? Commuters with medical conditions blast plan to criminalize snacks – but others say they would welcome an end to ‘disgusting’ habit

• Dame Sally is nicknamed ‘nanny-in-chief’ for her bold public health interventions
• She said Mr Johnson was wrong for saying exercise is more important than diet 
• She stepped down as chief medical officer last week, before her 98-page report
• Dame Sally wants eating and drinking prohibited on all forms of public transport

Calls to ban eating on public transport have divided opinion across Britain today after the outgoing chief medical officer proposed the radical move to fight obesity.

Many regular passengers were outraged by Dame Sally Davies’ drastic suggestion, labelling her plan as ‘absurd’ and ‘utter lunacy’.

But others took the opportunity to vent their frustration over the ‘chomping’ noises coming from fellow commuters on their morning travels.

Some diabetic patients today promised to defy any potential ban over fears that being unable to snack could be dangerous for their blood sugar.

In recent months, commuters have been caught using spoons to eat straight out of mayonnaise jars and using their hands to munch a prawn salad.

Another train commuter was this summer branded an ‘absolute legend’ and ‘hero’ after he was spotted eating Viennetta with a metal spoon.   

Dame Sally, nicknamed ‘nanny-in-chief’ for her bold public health interventions, made the drastic suggestion in a 98-page report today.

Twitter users branded her suggestion ‘crazy’, with one saying: ‘Lots of people just have time to grab a snack on the go.’ Another user – @PiersJH – said the proposed ban was ‘absurd’ and described it as being a ‘powergrab by the nanny state’

Jack Ashby, a diabetic patient, said he would eat on public transport regardless of if a ban is imposed because ‘I often have to sort my sugar out with food’

Tanya Barad, a fellow diabetic patient, called the move ridiculous and questioned whether the rule would apply for train journeys of six hours

Another user said the move was ‘utter lunacy’, and mocked that food should be banned in the street, workplaces and houses to ‘fix obesity’

Derrick Roberts joked that if he asked Siri who the ‘stupidest person in the world’ would be, it would give the answer ‘Dame Sally Davies’

One Twitter user agreed with the suggested ban, saying: ‘I don’t want to hear some greedy pig chomping on a bag of crisps first thing in the morning’

Sally Pethybridge said the ban would be ‘good’, joking that the ‘lingering smells of curries and vile McDonalds’ still haunt her to this day

Twitter users branded her suggestion ‘crazy’, with one saying: ‘Lots of people just have time to grab a snack on the go.’

Another user said the proposed ban was ‘absurd’ and described it as being a ‘powergrab by the nanny state’.

And another said the move was ‘utter lunacy’, and mocked that food should be banned in the street, workplaces and houses to ‘fix obesity’.

Derrick Roberts joked that if he asked Siri who the ‘stupidest person in the world’ would be, it would give the answer ‘Dame Sally Davies’.

ENGLAND ‘MIGHT WELL END UP WITH MANDATORY VACCINES’ 

England ‘might well end up with mandatory’ vaccines, Dame Sally also said today.

She said she hoped other measures could be tried first to stem falling immunisation rates, but that it was vital to stop the spread of deadly diseases. 

Her comments come after some health experts condemned Health Secretary Matt Hancock for saying he is seriously considering mandatory vaccination. 

Dame Sally told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We need to up our vaccination rates. 

‘I hope we can do it by other means, but if we can’t, we might well end up with mandatory.’ 

She said it was ‘important that children are vaccinated’, adding: ‘I remember looking after two children as they died from measles.’

Jack Ashby, a diabetic patient, said he would eat on public transport regardless of if a ban is imposed because ‘I often have to sort my sugar out with food’.

Tanya Barad, a fellow diabetic patient, called the move ridiculous and questioned whether the rule would apply for train journeys of six hours.

One Twitter user agreed with the suggested ban, saying: ‘I don’t want to hear some greedy pig chomping on a bag of crisps first thing in the morning.’

Sally Pethybridge said the ban would be ‘good’, joking that the ‘lingering smells of curries and vile McDonalds’ still haunt her to this day.

And Charlotte Lewis said: ‘I’m fed-up with having to sit on a bus surrounded by discarded food-wrapping and even discarded food – it’s disgusting and I don’t see why I should be subjected to that filth.’

Dame Sally also wants health chiefs to threaten industry with ‘cigarette style’ plain packaging for sweets and chocolates if they fail to meet sugar reduction targets. 

She today said Boris Johnson was wrong to say exercise is more important than diet, in defence of the controversial sugar tax.  

In an attack on ‘sin taxes’ earlier this summer, the Prime Minister said officials should just encourage people to ‘do more exercise’.

Health leaders, including the head of the NHS, have since blasted Mr Johnson for his criticism of proposals to slap a sugar tax-style levy on junk food.

Talking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dame Sally this morning defended the sugar tax, which came into force by law in April 2018.

One train commuter was this summer branded an ‘absolute legend’ and ‘hero’ after he was spotted eating Vienetta with a metal spoon

One traveller was caught eating an M&S prawn salad with his bare hands while horrified commuters looked on

Another commuter was spotted using a spoon to eat straight out of a mayonnaise jar on a bus

Dame Sally Davies, nicknamed the nation’s ‘nanny-in-chief’ for her bold public health interventions and who today said snacks should be banned on public transport in her most radical proposals to date, said 80 per cent of obesity is down to what we eat

In an attack on ‘sin taxes’ earlier this summer, the Prime Minister said officials should just encourage people to ‘do more exercise’

Dame Sally wants the Government to threaten the food industry with ‘cigarette style’ plain packaging for sweets and chocolates if they fail to meet sugar reduction targets. The sugar tax programme – already in place for soft drinks – should be extended to cereals, yogurts and cakes if targets are not met by 2021, and applied to calorie-rich foods by 2024

NO-DEAL BREXIT COULD LEAD TO DEATHS, SAYS DAME SALLY 

People could die as a result of a no-deal Brexit, Dame Sally warned today in the same BBC Radio 4 Today programme interview.

She said it cannot be guaranteed that there will be no medical shortages if the UK crashes out of the EU on October 31.

There are fears that leaving the EU without a deal in place could hit imports of medicine.

Last week, NHS Wales unveiled a so-called ‘Brexit Warehouse’ to store around 1,000 extra products including medical gloves, needles and dressings at a cost of about £5million.

Dame Sally told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The health service and everyone has worked very hard to prepare.

‘But I say what I’ve said before – that we cannot guarantee that there will not be shortages, not only in medicines but technology and gadgets and things.

‘And there may be deaths, we can’t guarantee there won’t.’ Pressed whether lives are at risk, she replied firmly: ‘They are at risk.’

Her comments come just a couple of days after the Government published a Brexit ‘no-deal readiness’ report in which Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that he can ‘confidently’ say the UK is prepared to leave the EU without a deal on October 31.

On the issue of health, the report said: ‘The UK will continue to play a world-leading role in health security, patient safety and medical advance after Brexit.

‘Opportunities may include innovative regulation of novel advanced therapies and medicines, and a streamlined approach to clinical trial reporting and conduct.

‘These strengths in health research will be further supported by fast-track visas for world-leading scientists.’ 

She said: ‘We have a Prime Minister who’s intelligent and follows the evidence and as a result we have reviewed the sugar levy, it isn’t a tax.

‘Reformulation by companies has resulted in them selling 10 per cent more drinks and taking 30million tonnes of sugar out of the diet.’

Dame Sally, who today suggested banning food on public transport to curb obesity rates, added: ‘I think that’s great for everyone, it’s a win-win.’

WHAT DID BORIS JOHNSON SAY ABOUT ‘SIN TAXES’? 

Mr Johnson declared war on ‘sin taxes’ on sugary and fatty foods and promised a review if he reached No10 in July.   

At the time, he said: ‘The recent proposal for a tax on milkshakes seems to me to clobber those who can least afford it. 

‘If we want people to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles, we should encourage people to walk, cycle and generally do more exercise. 

‘Rather than just taxing people more, we should look at how effective the so-called “sin taxes” really are, and if they actually change behaviour.’

But Mr Johnson’s pledge sparked a backlash from health campaigners who accused him of ‘turning back the clock’.

The Royal Society for Public Health argued you ‘cannot outrun a bad diet’ and said it was wrong to put the onus on individuals to change their habits.

And when asked about Mr Johnson’s belief that exercise is more important than diet, she said: ‘On that, he and many people are wrong.

‘Eighty per cent of weight is about what we eat, and 20 per cent is about physical activity.’

Mr Johnson declared war on ‘sin taxes’ on sugary and fatty foods and promised a review if he reached No10 in July.   

At the time, he said: ‘The recent proposal for a tax on milkshakes seems to me to clobber those who can least afford it. 

‘If we want people to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles, we should encourage people to walk, cycle and generally do more exercise. 

‘Rather than just taxing people more, we should look at how effective the so-called “sin taxes” really are, and if they actually change behaviour.’

But Mr Johnson’s pledge sparked a backlash from health campaigners who accused him of ‘turning back the clock’.

The Royal Society for Public Health argued you ‘cannot outrun a bad diet’ and said it was wrong to put the onus on individuals to change their habits.

Earlier this week, the head of NHS England Simon Stevens urged the Government to be ‘led by the evidence’ that showed the sugar tax worked. 

The UK has some of the fattest girls in the world, behind only Chile, the US and Mexico. It falls a few places down a global league table for obesity among boys

Dame Sally Davies’ report revealed sizes of some of Britain’s favourite snacks, such as bagels and crisps, as well as meals including cottage pie and pizza have increased in size since 1990

DAME SALLY CALLS FOR A REVOLT AMONG CRICKETERS OVER SPONSORSHIP DEAL WITH JUNK FOOD MANUFACTURERS

Dame Sally Davies called for a cricketers’ revolt over a sponsorship deal with junk food manufacturers.

Each of the eight teams in the Cricket 100 tournament, which starts in July next year, will feature a different KP snack brand on their kit – such as Hula Hoops and McCoys.

‘I can’t think what the cricket boffins were thinking,’ Dame Sally said. ‘It’s appalling. I hope the players rise up and say they won’t do it. It really is awful.’

The outgoing chief medical officer follows NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens in criticising the deal.

Mr Stevens said on Tuesday: ‘It is disappointing, despite the good that sports can do, sports can do fantastically – we see that in many walks of life, but it’s disappointing when for example you see the English Cricket Board doing a deal with junk food aimed at children, sponsorship for the cricket 100, I would hope when those sorts of deals are being considered in future, people make a different choice.’

Cricket chiefs hope the sponsorship deal will help the Hundred reach younger urban audiences at a time of declining county ground attendances.

The ECB last week defended the sponsorship deal, claiming KP would help them promote the game of cricket and so get more people active.

‘Across their portfolio of brands, KP has almost unprecedented reach into the lives of all of Britain’s diverse consumers and is keen to work with us to help grow the game of cricket,’ a spokesman said.

‘As part of our partnership we’ll get the opportunity to tap into their platform to engage with our core cricket fans, wider sports fans and families who we’re targeting as part of The Hundred.

‘We agree it’s critical to promote this partnership responsibly and we’ll use our own platform and influencers to educate and promote health, activity and balance as a core message.’

Dame Sally, who nine years ago became the first woman to be appointed to the job, also criticised the junk food industry (pictured in the report, enough children to fill 13 school buses are admitted to hospital to have teeth removed each week)

English children are fatter than ever – official data revealed last October that one in every 25 10 to 11-year-olds are severely obese, the fattest possible category

Being fat as a child raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or cancer in later life, scientists have repeatedly warned

HOW FAT ARE BRITISH CHILDREN?

English children are fatter than ever – official data revealed last October that one in every 25 10 to 11-year-olds are severely obese, the fattest possible category.

And out of around 556,000 children of primary school-leaving age in the UK, 170,000 are overweight to some degree, figures showed in May last year.

More than one in five 11-year-olds are obese – equivalent to around 111,000 children – and being so fat means they are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer or have a stroke.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health say children should be weighed every year at school because ‘danger is on the horizon’ and the UK is lagging behind the rest of the EU in tackling obesity.

Experts have also warned children gain weight ‘at a drastic rate’ when they’re at school. 

Sugar in food is known to be contributing to the swelling waistlines of children, with huge amounts of popular foods crammed full of sugar.

A sugar tax has reduced the effects of some soft drinks, but breakfast cereals can still contain more than 70 per cent of an entire day’s sugar in a single bowl.

Even a single can of Coca Cola (35g of sugar) or one Mars bar (33g) contain more than the maximum amount of sugar a child should have over a whole day.  

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson also said Mr Johnson’s choice to attack ‘nanny statism’ did not ‘cut the mustard’.

The sugar tax – which has bumped the prices of some leading soft drinks – has led to a 28.8 per cent reduction in sugar per 100ml of drink.

Dame Sally today delivered her final report of recommendations, after being asked by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to potential measures to curb obesity.  

She said food should be banned from public transport to stop people snacking on the go and called for junk food ads to be banned from public venues.

She also wants the Government to threaten the industry with ‘cigarette style’ plain packaging for chocolates if they fail to meet sugar reduction targets. 

And the sugar tax programme – already in place for soft drinks – should be extended to cereals, yogurts and cakes if targets are not met by 2021.

More immediately, Dame Sally wants a calorie cap on restaurant and takeaway meals and nutritional labelling made compulsory on all supermarket food.

Dame Sally stepped down as chief medical officer last week to start a new job as Master of Trinity College in Cambridge. 

Her 98-page report was scathing about politicians’ attempts to tackle obesity – she called on ministers’ to ‘do their duty’ and ‘be bold’ to deal with the problem.

Mr Hancock said: ‘Professor Dame Sally Davies has done more than anyone to promote the health of the nation over a decade as CMO. 

‘Her parting report is no different and we will study it closely and act on the evidence.’

WHAT HAS DAME SALLY RECOMMENDED IN HER FINAL REPORT?

+ Ban all food and drink except water on urban public transport;

+ Use Brexit to simplify VAT rates on food – apply the tax to unhealthy food, remove it from healthy food;

+ Phase out any advertising and sponsorship of unhealthy foods and drink at major public venues;

+ Schools to ensure healthy meals are provided at a low price, including to children receiving free school meals;

+ Calorie caps for all food and drink sold by restaurants and takeaways, including online firms;

+ Nutrition labelling to be made mandatory on the front of food packs in supermarkets and on all menus in restaurants;

+ If ‘sufficient progress’ is not made on sugar reduction targets, by 2021 the Government should either extend the soft drinks levy to sugary food, or implement ‘cigarette-style’ plain packaging;

+ Taxes or plain packaging should be considered for calorie-rich food by 2024.

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