Snacking on public transport could be banned in an attempt to reduce childhood obesity.
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, Dame Sally Davies, has released her final report as CMO on how to tackle obesity. She states that we are in an obesity ‘crisis’, with around a third of children being overweight by the age of 11.
The CMO has set a target to halve these rates by 2030.
"Our politicians need to be bold and help everyone embrace healthier life choices."
A variety of measures were put forward in her report – including extending the sugar tax to include milk-based drinks and phasing out all marketing, advertising and sponsorship of unhealthy food and drink.
The most eye-catching measure she wants to put in place is the banning of eating snacks on public transport – excluding water, breast-feeding and food needed for medical conditions.
This is mainly aimed at children commuting to and from school so will solely apply to local transport such as buses, trams and metro networks. Inter-city trains are not included in this snacking ban.
The main goal is to discourage snacking.
Although aimed at children, the ban will also apply to adults – the CMO wants them to demonstrate good behaviour to children.
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