Local authority leaders have criticised the Government’s new food strategy which they argue does not tackle the underlying causes of obesity.

In their response to a review of the UK’s food system, the Government focused on encouraging home-grown food, boosting production, and strengthening supply chains.

However, there are no plans to adopt the first recommendation in the report, which was a tax on sugar and salt. The revenue of such a tax would be used to increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables for low income families.

The latest data shows that around 64% of adults and 40% of children in England are overweight or living with obesity.

Local authority leaders criticised the Government’s response as a ‘missed opportunity’.

Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: ‘Obesity and diet-related health issues are one of the biggest public health challenges we face, with the cost of treating obesity-related ill health forecast to rise to £9.7bn a year by 2050.

‘The strategy response represents a missed opportunity to tackle the underlying causes of many of these issues, which will continue to be exacerbated by the growing cost of living crisis. Unless the government takes urgent action, its ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030 will be missed.’

Cllr Fothergill continued: ‘One of the ways these challenges can be met is for the Government to expand access to and availability of Healthy Start Vouchers to ensure more families on low incomes can access fresh fruit and vegetables as well as expanding access and increasing the eligibility criteria of Free School Meals to include all children who are facing food insecurity.

‘We are urging the Government to act now to ensure healthy food remains affordable to those who need it the most to protect the most vulnerable in our society.’