Britons' taste for junk food is still among Europe's worst

Britons’ taste for junk food is still among Europe’s worst as we rank second to Sweden for scoffing sausages, ready meals and fizzy drinks

  • Britons come second to Swedes in their taste for cake, ready meals and biscuits
  • Most people in the UK get almost 40 per cent of their daily energy intake from processed goods – putting them at risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease
  • Campaigners want plans made to curb Britain’s appetite for industrialised foods 

The UK still has one of the worst diets in Europe despite decades of health warnings, damning research shows.

Out of 23 nations Britons come second only to Swedes in their taste for sausages, cake, ready meals, biscuits, puddings and fizzy drinks.

Experts fear millions are still putting themselves at risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease by bingeing on ultra-processed food laden with sugar, fat and salt.

Campaigners demanded urgent steps last night to curb Britain’s addiction to industrialised foods. Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: ‘Action to clamp down on them has to be taken – and urgently.

‘Successive governments have overwhelmingly failed to stop manufacturers lacing their food products with sugar, fat and salt – paving the way for two-thirds of the nation to be overweight or obese.’ 

Experts fear millions are still putting themselves at risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease by bingeing on ultra-processed food laden with sugar, fat and salt.

The researchers compared eating habits across 23 nations including the UK

Nutrition expert Professor Mike Lean, of Glasgow University, said: ‘This is worrying. Most of these foods are usually very low in micronutrients and commonly high in sugar or artificial sweetener as well as fat and salt. Worse still, they are associated with high rates of obesity – especially in children – and the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.’

Eating small amounts of ultra-processed food such as buns, cakes, crisps or ready sauces, is not thought to be harmful. But experts are increasingly concerned about Britons’ apparent growing dependence on them.

In the study, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, analysed data on the eating habits of millions of people around Europe collected by the European Food Safety Authority.

These figures recorded how much of consumers’ daily energy intake from food was provided by ultra-processed foods.

Most energy intake should come from healthy, fresh food.

Out of 23 nations Britons come second only to Swedes in their taste for sausages, cake, ready meals, biscuits, puddings and fizzy drinks.

The researchers compared eating habits across 23 nations including the UK.

The results, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, show that in Italy, where many people eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, ready meals, snack foods and fizzy drinks make up only about 13 per cent of each person’s daily calorie intake.

But in the UK, most people get almost 40 per cent of their daily energy intake from processed goods – marginally less than Sweden and worse than Germany and the Netherlands.

Most other countries appear to be cutting their intake of these foods, but in the UK it seems to be on the increase.

Meanwhile, a separate study published this week in the journal Obesity Reviews, paints an even more alarming picture of British teenagers’ diets.

Researchers, including experts from Imperial College London, compared data from the US, UK, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico. The UK was worst, with ultra-processed foods making up almost 70 per cent of adolescents’ daily food intake, compared with 18 per cent in Colombia. 

In Italy, where many people eat a healthy Mediterranean diet, ready meals, snack foods and fizzy drinks make up only about 13 per cent of each person’s daily calorie intake 

In the UK, most people get almost 40 per cent of their daily energy intake from processed goods

Poor diet and lifestyle have fuelled an obesity epidemic in the UK. The 2019 Health Survey for England shows 28 per cent of adults are obese and a further 36 per cent are overweight.

Meanwhile, rates of type 2 diabetes in the UK have doubled in the last 15 years to include almost five million people.

Much of the blame for Britain’s expanding waistlines has fallen on our taste for takeaways. But in recent years there has been increasing concern over the routine consumption of ultra-processed foods.

Lots of processed foods are relatively healthy and make up part of a balanced diet. Breakfast cereals, cheese and baked beans are typical examples.

However, mass-produced sliced bread, for instance, is classed as ultra-processed because of ingredients added to give it a longer shelf life.

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