Dietary Advice and Childhood Obesity Strategy Debate

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Department: Department of Health and Social Care

Dietary Advice and Childhood Obesity Strategy

Norman Lamb Excerpts
Monday 23rd May 2016

(7 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right—that is important. The strategy has been awaited, and if it is to do the job we all want it to do, it should deal with the myths and concerns that have been raised, and do so in a proper evidential manner.

Norman Lamb Portrait Norman Lamb (North Norfolk) (LD)
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May I join in a partial, and rather surprising, alliance with the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) in questioning the sense in taxing just one particular type of product? Would not the Government instead—this is where I part company with him—consider taxing sugar as an ingredient to create an incentive for reformulation of products to reduce sugar content across the board, rather than just picking on one type of product?

Alistair Burt Portrait Alistair Burt
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I thank the right hon. Gentleman. He was not on my accumulator, so it has gone down. What he is calling for is exactly what the strategy does. It is designed to be quite wide and to take into account the possibility of other action in other places. He is absolutely correct about that.