TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY

That this House welcomes the report Averting A Recipe for Disaster which calls for a food manifesto for the under fives to tackle the growing problem of poor nutrition and obesity in children; notes that an estimated 60 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women could be obese by 2050 if no action is taken; further notes that diet-related illness already costs the NHS nearly £6 billion per year; recognises that as a nation we must improve our children's relationship with food if we are to prevent this obesity epidemic; and calls on the Department for Education to consider implementing the report's recommendations to make cooking in schools compulsory, to extend nutritional advice, free food items and vitamins to more new mothers and to give a free breakfast to every child.