Watch: Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall  clashes with Health Secretary over obesity plan during interview - video Dailymotion

TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tackles Health Secretary over obesity planpa

Transcript

00:00 Something else that is very significant in terms of the pressure it puts on the NHS is

00:04 the subject that one of our panellists is very passionate about, tackling obesity and

00:09 helping people look after their health a bit better. Hugh, you have a direct question for

00:13 the Health Secretary on this. I do. The subject is obesity and it's interesting,

00:18 Secretary of State, you haven't mentioned it at all. It's the single biggest factor

00:22 in the ailing health of the nation. Treating obesity is the single biggest cost to the

00:28 NHS. We've got approaching 3 million people who are long-term sick. The estimated cost

00:35 to the economy of obesity is £100 billion a year. Now, I've worked with many amazing

00:41 agencies, with the Food Foundation, with the Obesity Health Alliance, with Jamie Oliver

00:46 and his team, with Henry Dimbleby. They have all put a raft of policies, of levers that

00:51 you could be pulling to address the obesity crisis. You're not pulling any of them. You've

00:56 done next to nothing to help this ailing, struggling, sick citizens of the UK find healthier

01:04 food. OK, well let's put that to you. Next to nothing about it. Victoria, let's respond

01:08 then. Hugh, I've been in post for three months now

01:10 and what I want to do is set out, and I will be over the coming weeks, setting out a prevention

01:15 strategy which of course will include obesity. But we make the mistake, I think, of siloing

01:21 obesity by itself. We know that it can have many, many other conditions, including causing

01:28 type 2 diabetes. And so over the coming weeks you will see the government set out our plans.

01:33 But I want to take a strategic approach, in fairness Hugh asked me this question, I want

01:37 to take a strategic approach to prevention. And in fact the biggest public health intervention

01:43 we can make, we are making, which is creating the first smoke-free generation. We know that

01:48 that will save up to four in ten cancers that are caused by smoking.