07 Nov 2018 Food Active supports Devon’s Healthy Weight Summit
Food Active was invited to contribute to a Healthy Weight Summit organised by Devon County Council and held at County Hall, Exeter, on 7th November.
A well-attended meeting had delegates from across Devon and its eight districts. Richard Merrifield. from Public Health Devon, provided a background briefing for the Summit. Richard explained that one in four/five children are starting school overweight and obese; but this figure has increased to one in three by the time these children leave primary school. In addition, two in three adults are overweight and obese with 34% of sickness absence related to associated conditions. Overall, £276 million is estimated to be lost to the local economy in Devon due to sickness absence.
Robin Ireland, Director of Research for Food Active, described how the Local Authority Declaration on Healthy Weight could help Devon in addressing healthy weight. He drew on the work of both Blackpool Council and Cumbria County Council in describing initiatives which may assist the county. Devon County Council hopes to adopt the Local Authority Declaration in due course.
