The UK and US have the HEALTHIEST packaged foods in the world, finds review of breads, cereals and snacks sold in 12 nations
- The UK ranked 2.83 out of five, followed by the US with 2.82
- India, China and Chile had the most unhealthy products on shelves
- Experts said its clear Britons are still harming their health with food choices
Packaged food in Britain is among the healthiest in the world, research has shown.
A global study of food and drinks sold on the shelves of 12 countries put the UK at top of the table.
The research, led by experts at the University of Oxford, analysed the nutritional value of more than 400,000 products.
Countries were given a five star rating in categories including breads, cereals, beverages and various snacks.
Packaged food in Britain is among the healthiest in the world, research has shown. A global study of food and drinks sold on the shelves of 12 countries put the UK at top of the table
The researchers, whose work is published in the Obesity Reviews journal, found pre-packaged food and drinks in the UK had the highest average rating, at 2.83 out of five.
This was followed by the US at 2.82 and Australia at 2.81.
India had the lowest rating of just 2.27 followed by China at 2.43 with Chile coming third from bottom at 2.44.
The UK also had the lowest level of sugar in packed food (3.5g/100g), beverages (7.2g/100g) and both combined (3.8g/100g).
The overall average of sugar in UK packaged items was less than half the 8.3g per 100g in China.
Despite the relative healthiness of UK food on the global map, experts stress British people are still harming their health with the food they eat.
A recent study in the Lancet medical journal found poor diets are responsibly for nearly 90,000 deaths in Britain every year.
Nearly one in every six UK deaths is linked to unhealthy food, that study found, with the annual death toll close to overtaking smoking.
With processed food making up more than half of all the food bought in the UK, experts stress there is a long way to go to improve British diets.
Almost one in three adults in the UK are obese, as well as one in five children aged 10 to 11 years old.
SALT IN FOOD – HOW DO THE COUNTRIES RANK?
Figures are the median
SUGAR IN FOOD – HOW DO THE COUNTRIES RANK?
Figures are the median
SATURATED FAT IN FOOD – HOW DID THE COUNTRIES RANK?
Figures are the median
CALORIES IN FOOD – HOW DID THE COUNTRIES RANK?
Figures are the median
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Despite the relative healthiness of UK food on the global map, experts stress British people are still harming their health with the food they eat
Lead author Dr Elizabeth Dunford, of Oxford’s George Institute for Global Health, said: ‘Globally we’re all eating more and more processed foods and that’s a concern because our supermarkets’ shelves are full of products that are high in bad fats, sugar and salt and are potentially making us sick,’ she said.
Our results show that some countries are doing a much better job than others.’
Dr Dunford said the results are particularly concerning for low- and middle-income countries.
‘Unfortunately it’s the poorer nations that are least able to address the adverse health consequences that have the unhealthiest foods.’
Co-author Professor Bruce Neal, of the George Institute in Australia, said with packaged foods progressively dominating the world’s food supply there was real cause for concern.
‘Billions of people are now exposed to very unhealthy foods on a daily basis.
‘The obesity crisis is just the first ripple of a tsunami of dietary ill health that is coming for us.
‘We have to find a way that the food industry can profit from selling rational quantities of quality food, rather than deluging us with unhealthy junk.
‘There are few greater priorities for human health.’
HOW IS THE UK GOVERNMENT TRYING TO STOP OBESITY?
The Government have made drastic moves over the past year to try and cut down on obesity.
A tax on added sugar in drinks came into force in April 2018, requiring companies to hand over more of the money they make from drinks which contain more than 5g of sugar per 100ml of liquid.
As a result, many soft drinks have had their recipes changed in order to avoid paying the tax and putting prices up. Sugary drinks are the biggest single source of sugar for children and teenagers.
The Government is also considering making it compulsory for all restaurants and fast food outlets to display the number of calories in each meal on their menu.
Some food outlets already do this but there can be unexpected numbers of calories in popular dishes, and the Government is consulting on the plans before a decision is due in spring.
In March this year, Public Health England warned Brits to crack down on the number of calories they’re eating, advising people to consume no more than 1,600 per day.
The watchdog says adults shouldn’t eat any more than 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner – this would allow for some snacks, experts said.
Examples of 600-calorie meals include a tuna pasta salad and a small cereal bar, a chicken salad sandwich and a pack of crisps, or half a pepperoni pizza with a quarter of a garlic baguette and a banana.
In the same announcement PHE said shops selling the food should cut down their portion sizes to help people slim their waistlines.
Plans are also being considered to ban advertising junk food on television before 9pm, to reduce the number of children who are exposed to it.
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