In a move which will bolster the case for a sugar tax, the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Board has advised the Scottish Government that the Scottish Dietary Goals need to be updated in the light of evidence which shows that almost two-thirds of Scots (65%) are either overweight or obese.
Despite this, the newly-published FSS Situation Report ‘The Scottish Diet: It Needs To Change’ also found that three-quarters (77%) of the population believe they have a healthy or very healthy diet.
Evidence contained within the Situation Report also highlights:
- Around half a million people in Scotland are at a risk of developing type two diabetes
- The Scottish diet is too high in calories, fats, sugars and salt, and too low in fibre, fruit and vegetables
The report goes on to flag up “the need to reduce the consumption of discretionary food and drink if there are to be significant measurable improvements to diet and health of the Scottish public,” and targets biscuits, cakes, confectionery, savoury snacks and sugar-sweetened drinks.
Ross Finnie, Chair, Food Standards Scotland said: “The Scottish diet is not improving and the problem of diet-related ill-health is now spanning the generations.
“There is a disconnect between the scale of the problem and how healthy people believe their diet to be. We all need to recognise there is a problem and everyone including consumers, the food and drink industry, retailers, media and government has a part to play in finding a solution.”
The Board proposes the following revised goals:
- to reduce sugar to 5% of total energy
- to increase dietary fibre intake to 30g per day
- to maintain total carbohydrate at 50% of total energy with no more than 5% total energy from sugar.
