More Progress Tackling Poor Diet And Alcohol Misuse

The Responsibility Deal shows how partnership and challenge can be the most effective way of tackling some public health objectives, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today as he unveiled signatories to the first phase of the deal.

Working in partnership with members of the voluntary sector, business, industry and the retail sector, the Deal can deliver faster and better results than a regulatory route, which is not always available.

Since September, five groups working on food, alcohol, behavioural change, physical activity and health at work have developed a series of pledges for action.

Key collective pledges agreed include: Calories on menus from September this year; Reducing salt in food so people eat 1g less per day by the end of 2012; and improving workplace health.

Supermarkets including ASDA, the Co-operative, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose are among more than 170 organisations which have signed up to a broad range of measures designed to help the public to be more healthy.

High street food outlets including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and KFC have pledged to remove trans-fats and to put in place calorie labelling.

Drink producers and retailers, including Diageo, Carlsberg, Majestic Wine and Constellation, the producer of well-know brands including Hardys, Echo Falls and Stowells, have pledged to provide clear unit labelling, support awareness campaigns and develop a new sponsorship code on responsible drinking.

Andrew Lansley said: “Public health is everyone’s responsibility and there is a role for all of us, working in partnership, to tackle these challenges.

“We know that regulation is costly, can take years and is often only determined at an EU-wide level anyway. That’s why we have to introduce new ways of achieving better results.

“The deals published today, demonstrate the effectiveness of our radical partnership approach to deliver more and sooner.

“And it is only the first step. While I’m pleased with the progress we have achieved in seven months and that over 170 organisations have already signed up as partners, we want more organisations to sign up, and also to work with us to develop further collective and individual pledges.

“These deals will work alongside the Department’s broader plans to take a bold new approach to public health. Public Health England will give local people the money and the power to improve our nation's health. The money will be ringfenced to be used as it should be - for preventing ill health.”

(BMcN/KMcA)