Member Article

Business should not lead public health policy

Shadow Health Minister Daine Abbott has suggested that business can not be allowed to set the agenda for public health policy.

Speaking at a recent IPPR conference, Mrs Abbott stated the Government’s responsibility deals were not the right way to lead public health and questioned the move to local authorities.

She said: “I think the Government talks-the-talk on public health but isn’t prepared to walk-the-walk. It’s right in principle that local authorities should be given more power, and its interesting they’ve been given a ring-fenced budget, but first of all they’re being given these powers at a time of maximum financial pressure for local authorities.”

“The Government is quite right to say that we need to work with business, and the labour party is pro-business, but we’re not pro-business as usual.

“What you cannot have is business driving the public health agenda. I think their responsibility deals are a joke.

“Everyone who has looked at them, from the house of lords to the children’s food campaign, has said really their effect is negligible. We have to work with business, we can’t let them lead the agenda.”

The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee said: “We have major doubts about the effectiveness of voluntary agreements with commercial organisations, in particular where there are potential conflicts of interest.

“After all, you cannot expect big business, which makes billions every year by marketing sugary, fatty and unhealthy foods to willingly limit its own profiteering.”

The Children’s Food campaign also commented: “The food pledges in the Responsibility Deal are minor and allow industry to appear to be helping to improve public health without having to do very much.

“The current pledges are underwhelming amounting to little more than a continuation of schemes that were being developed anyway by the Food Standards Agency.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .