Sainsbury's is to back a new initiative to tackle the increasing problem of childhood obesity.
As part of a government drive, the supermarket group's chief executive, Justin King, will this week share a platform with the public health minister, Caroline Flint, to discuss obesity in children. The event aims to provide concrete suggestions for how the food industry, government and health professionals can change what families eat.
According to a recent government report, on current trends more than a million children in Britain under the age of 16 will be classed as obese by 2010. The report predicted that 22% of girls would be obese by that time, compared with 16% in 2003. In boys the rate of obesity is expected to climb to 19%, up from 17%. Childhood obesity has been linked to medical problems in adulthood ranging from diabetes to heart problems and some cancers.
Mr King said Sainsbury's was getting involved in the obesity debate because the country was "heading towards an epidemic of obesity" and he believed the supermarket could "make a difference".
The move comes only days after Jamie Oliver lambasted parents for the problem of obesity among children. The celebrity chef branded parents who feed junk food to their children as "tossers". Mr Oliver fronts Sainsbury's advertising and acts as a consultant on food issues to the grocer.
The TV chef added: "I've spent two years being politically correct about parents but it's time to say: If you give them bags of crisps, you're an idiot. If you are not cooking them a hot meal, sort it out." Mr Oliver urged the government to take action to prevent the problem of childhood obesity getting worse.
Sainsbury's decision to enter the childhood obesity debate comes as all the big supermarket chains are attempting to change their image by underlining their credentials as socially and environmentally responsible organisations.
This year Tesco launched a 10-point "community plan" designed to turn it into a "good neighbour", which ranged from a £100m environmental fund to initiatives to encourage healthier eating and fitness. Last week Sainsbury's unveiled new compostable packaging and called on the government to provide every household with a compost bin. Mr King has also backed the government's "traffic light" food labelling proposal and called on rivals to accept the scheme. Tesco is pressing ahead with its own labelling scheme.
Mr King will be taking part in a discussion with Ms Flint in London on Wednesday as part of the government's "small change, big difference" initiative. Julia Unwin, deputy chair of the Food Standards Agency, and Dr David Haslam of the National Obesity Forum are also taking part.
Mr King said: "Sainsbury's has always been at the forefront of health and nutrition issues and we created this event to contribute to the government's Small Change, Big Difference campaign. We're delighted that parents and experts are attending the event and believe we have the opportunity to take action and make a difference."
The government is targeting segments of the population to drive behavioural change on healthy living, with the first phase of the campaign directed at parents of children aged two to 10.
The London event being addressed by Mr King and the health minister will include parents who do a weekly food shop to find out why shopping and eating behaviour has not changed despite the increased awareness of health issues. "The gap between awareness and behaviour change needs to be confronted," a spokesman for Sainsbury's said.
Sainsbury's has also started a research programme to discover what parents of young children buy and how that varies across regions and socio-economic groups.
