Scotland's poor diet declared 'deep-rooted'
A poor diet in Scotland is ``deep-rooted'' and has not changed significantly in the last 15 years, according to a report.
A poor diet in Scotland is deep-rooted'' and has not changed significantly in the last 15 years, according to a report.
As a nation, Scots eat too many calories, too much fat, sugar and salt, and not enough fruit, vegetables, oil-rich fish and high-fibre foods, it said.
The most deprived areas tend to have the worst diets, with higher sugar intake partly due to consumption of sugary drinks, but there was a lower saturated fat intake amongst these groups, the analysis showed.
The findings are contained in the Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Situation Report which monitored the national diet against dietary goals.
It said a lack of current recognition of the problem can be illustrated by the fact that around three quarters of adults in Scotland say their diet is healthy, while at the same time 65% are either overweight or obese.
Report authors said too much of the Scottish diet consists of discretionary foods'' - items with lots of calories but little nutritional value - with many of the products sold in shop promotions.
Discretionary foods may be seen as treats, in which case too many of us are treating ourselves too often,'' the report said.
Scottish Diet: It Needs To Change, published today, concluded that condemning future generations to a population that is overweight and obese should not be the legacy of our generation''.
The report also looked at how the national diet is contributing to health problems and found it is putting an increased burden on healthcare services.
As a nation we have a high fat, high sugar, high calorie diet - and it's making us sick. Levels of diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses associated with obesity are stubbornly high in Scotland, and they've been that way for years,'' it said.
FSS found the problem with the Scottish diet is a persistent'' one but noted that the Scottish Government has policies in place to improve diet and healthy eating.
Geoff Ogle, FSS chief executive officer, said: We need to recognise the problem: there is still resistance to change but everyone, including consumers, the food and drink industry, media and government has a part to play in the solution.''
Maureen Watt, Minister for Public Health said:We recognise that there are issues with the Scottish diet and that many of these are long-standing, however there are some indications of progress in recent years, for instance a reduction in the purchase of sugary drinks.
We are working to ensure that everyone in Scotland has the opportunity, ability and confidence to access a healthy diet for themselves and their family. We know more can be done which is why we have asked Food Standards Scotland for advice on what measures need to be taken to tackle Scotland's poor diet.
In the meantime, the Scottish Government has introduced a range of measures to improve diet and is spending over £10m over a four year period (2012 - 2016) on projects to encourage healthy eating. These include the HealthyLiving Award, the Healthy Living Programme and Community Food and Health Scotland.
Through Supporting Healthy Choices, we are working with the food and drink industry, including manufacturers, retailers and caterers, to encourage and support consumers to make healthier choices. Key areas for action are around rebalancing promotions, responsible marketing of food and drink and reformulation of products, including a focus to limit salt, fats and sugar in food and drink.''