DHAKA: A pledge by food manufacturers to cut saturated fat levels is a "drop in the ocean" in the fight against obesity, a top public health expert says.

The commitment is part of the voluntary "responsibility deal" between industry and government.

But Prof John Ashton, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said the approach "lacked credibility".

Among those who will change recipes are Morrisons, Subway and Nestle - who are to alter the make-up of KitKats.

The average man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, while the average woman should eat no more than 20g.

Most people eat about 20% more than the recommended levels - and a survey of 2,000 people for Sainsbury`s found 84% of those questioned did not know how much saturated fat was a healthy amount.

The Department of Health said cutting the amount of saturated fat in people`s diets by 15% could prevent around 2,600 premature deaths every year from conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

It said almost half of the food manufacturing and retail industry had signed up to this latest pledge to reduce the amount of saturated fat in products.

Among the other companies which will cut saturated fat levels, Morrisons has said it will reformulate its range of spreads and Subway will reduce the amount of saturated fat in its Kids` Pak by replacing biscuits and crisps with healthier options.

Public health minister Jane Ellison said it was "hugely encouraging" that so many companies had committed to this new pledge.

And Prof Susan Jebb, chairwoman of the Responsibility Deal Food Network, said: "These commitments to help reduce saturated fat are an important step forward."

But there was criticism that the pledge did not go far enough.

Prof Ashton said: "It is a good thing that some companies are making food that has less saturated fat than before.

"They need to ensure that at the same time they lower the sugar and salt that they have used to make foods tastier as a result of lowering the fat content."

But he added: "This announcement is a drop in the ocean in comparison with the scale of the obesity crisis.

"We cannot rely on the voluntary approach of the responsibility deal to solve this problem.

"It now lacks credibility and can be seen as a feeble attempt by the industry to save face."

And Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum, said ministers must consider proper regulation.

"The much vaunted voluntary responsibility deal will never succeed until the government takes a grip and makes everybody sign up to it."

The announcement of the pledge comes days after one health expert said the risk from the fat was "overstated and demonised".

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Dr Aseem Malhotra said there was too much focus on the fat with other factors such as sugar often overlooked.

However Victoria Taylor, senior dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Cutting back on saturated fat is one way to keep your cholesterol on track.

"It`s really important to keep an eye on our cholesterol levels, as we know that high cholesterol raises the risk of coronary heart disease.

"By reducing the amount of saturated fat in everyday foods, these manufacturers and retailers are helping us to lower our intake.”

Source: BBC
BDST: 1122 HRS, OCT 26, 2013
MR/AKA/BSK