Henry Dimbleby resigns as Government food tsar

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Henry Dimbleby resigns as Government food tsar

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Henry Dimbleby has quit his role as food tsar at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, criticising the government for “insane” inaction on the nation’s obesity crisis.

In an interview with The Sunday Times,​Dimbleby accused the Government of going backwards on tackling obesity, saying: “After Boris Johnson’s hospitalisation [with Covid-19 in 2020], they were going to restrict advertising of junk food to children. They’re not going to do that. They’re just not tackling it.”

Exiting his Government role, he criticised the Conservative party for its inaction and said ministers were refusing to impose restriction on the junk food industry​ due to their “ultra-free market ideology”.

“There is a concern that dealing with these issues could be seen to be ‘nanny state’ and plays badly in the ‘red wall’ constituencies,” he said.

“That isn’t the case, actually, but there is concern that we need to be celebrating the great British diets of fish and chips and curry and beer and that junk food is somehow patriotic.

A vocal campaigner for change

The co-founder of Leon restaurant group has been vocal about the level of changes needed to tackle obesity and the food and drink industry’s role in climate change during his time in the role, publishing a landmark review of England’s food system last June​ in which he called for “much bolder” action to be taken on food strategy.

At the time has criticised the Government’s food strategy, which strips away many of his key recommendations including the introduction of a Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax saying “it’s not a strategy”.

“It doesn’t set out a clear vision as to why we have the problems we have now and it doesn’t set out what needs to be done.”

Dimbleby was appointed to lead a year-long review of the UK food system​ in 2019, the first major review of its kind in nearly 75 years. He was tasked with investigating the entire UK food system, from field to fork, and speaking to people from across the food chain to consider what changes are needed to ensure it is affordable, sustainable, efficient and cost-effective for all.

This included examining the production, marketing, processing, sale and purchase of food, as well as looking at the consumer practices, resources and institutions involved in these processes.

“No part of our economy matters more than food. It is vital to life and shapes our sense of identity,” he said at the time.

“But there are urgent challenges we must grapple with. Populations are growing, diet-related conditions are harming the lives of millions, and climate change is altering what our land will yield.”

Dimbleby’s new book Ravenous​ is published this week and is said to reveal the truth behind the global food system, including extensive damage to both human health and the environment.

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