In a hard-hitting report the Commons health committee has attacked ministers and the food industry for failing to tackle Britain's growing obesity epidemic.

The report, published on Thursday, set out 69 different recommendations including a voluntary withdrawal of television advertising of junk food to children.

The MPs also call for a "traffic light" system under which foods high in calories are marked with a red label, while those low in calories have green labels.

Current policies have left the NHS "failing" both to prevent obesity and tackle illnesses that arise from it, said the report.

Health secretary John Reid defended the government's policies, saying it was already taking action to improve public health.

But opposition parties have accused ministers of "dither and delay" in their response to the UK's obesity epidemic.

MPs 'appalled'

The committee report singled out for criticism advertising campaigns involving celebrities.

And there was also an outraged reaction to a Walkers media strategy brief, seen by the MPs, which said that the "desired consumer response" was "Wotsits are for me. I'm going to buy them when I get a chance and pester mum for them when she next goes shopping".

"We are appalled that a £710,000 campaign, launched by one of Britain's largest snack manufacturers, deliberately deployed a tactic which explicitly sought to undermine parental control over children's nutrition by exploiting children's natural tendency to attempt to influence their parents," said the report.

'Fat tax'

The MPs stopped short of calling for a "fat tax" on foods but urged the government to "keep an open mind" on the issue.

Among the other recommendations was a call for a Cabinet-level public health committee to be established, overseeing action across government departments.

The committee also backed a health education campaign similar to that used to reduce smoking.

"The NHS has a responsibility both to take strategic action to prevent obesity, as part of its public health remit, and to provide adequate treatment for those already suffering...as it would for those suffering from any other medical condition," said the report.

"It appears to us to be failing in both of these areas, and this needs to change as a matter of urgency."

Gloomy scenario

Over the past 25 years, obesity rates have increased by 400 per cent, while childhood obesity has tripled over the past 20 years.

Being overweight or obese is estimated to cost the country £7.4 billion a year - a figure expected to rise considerably.

"Should the gloomier scenarios relating to obesity turn out to be true, the sight of amputees will become much more familiar in the streets of Britain," the MPs warned.

"The positive trends of recent decades in combating heart disease, partly the consequence of the decline in smoking, will be reversed.

"Indeed, this will be the first generation where children die before their parents as a consequence of childhood obesity."

'Wake-up call'

The chairman of the committee, David Hinchliffe, described the findings of the one-year investigation as "staggering".

"The devastating consequences of the epidemic of obesity are likely to have a profound impact over the next century," he said.

"Obesity will soon supersede tobacco as the greatest cause of premature death in this country.

"It is staggering to realise that on present trends half of all children in England in 2020 could be obese."

Hinchliffe said the report was a "wake-up call for government".

"It is simply unacceptable that sports and education ministers should have endorsed initiatives to supply schools with sporting equipment or books but which required children to buy Cadbury's chocolate or Walker's Crisps," he added.

"Food companies and supermarkets will need to take real responsibility for their products and marketing, not simply pay lip service to it while undermining genuine efforts to reform the nation's diet.

"Labelling needs to be radically simplified, and schools will have to encourage activity and actively monitor the health of their children."

Radical measures

Health secretary John Reid defended the government's record, highlighting measures including making fruit available free to children aged between four and six, and improving school sports facilities.

"We share the committee's concern about the seriousness of the health impact of obesity," he said.

"It is one of the key issues which will be addressed in our white paper on public health later this year.

"We recognise that these issues are not just a matter for government - they involve individuals and the choices they make, as well as the food and leisure industry."

Reid also said that his department was working with other departments covering education, sport, transport and local government to encourage people to eat more nutritious food and take more exercise.

"We have set up a cross-government Cabinet committee under my chairmanship to take this work forward, and address wider public health issues," he added.

"We will consider the recommendations in this report carefully and it is a valuable contribution to the consultation process we are using to inform our white paper.

"We recognise this report may stimulate further debate and in order to ensure everyone can have their say we are extending the consultation period, which was due to finish at the end of May, for another month until the end of June."

'Dither and delay'

Shadow health secretary Tim Yeo said the government had "failed to tackle the problem of obesity".

"After seven years in office, and a disastrously muddled attitude to public health, it's time the government gave this crucial issue the attention it deserves," he said.

"The implementation of a joined up cross departmental approach so that education, transport, environment and home office policies all support public health goals is long overdue. 

"Last year, we called for a public health commissioner to ensure this was delivered. 

"Sadly Labour has preferred to leave responsibility in the hands of a junior minister who has many other duties."

For the Liberal Democrats, health spokesman Paul Burstow accused ministers of "dither and delay".

"During this government's watch, obesity has reached epidemic proportions," he said.

"Ministers have been slow to wake up to the scale of the obesity crisis.  What is required from government is a sense of urgency and determination to implement a strategy to first check and then reverse obesity rates. 

"It is time the government ended this dither and delay."

Sound science

Responding to the report, the British Retail Consortium said it backed a cohesive, national government strategy to tackle public health issues, including diet and exercise.
 
However, the retail organisation said it was "very disappointed" with the call for a "traffic light" system of food labelling.

"Policy should be based on sound science. By demonising certain foods, the report's recommendations ignore the advice of the UK's best nutritionists who have warned them that there are no good or bad foods, only good and bad diets," said Kevin Hawkins, BRC director general.

"The 'traffic light' approach leads to artificial segregation of foods by attacking staples of our diet such as meat and dairy products.

"Such wrong thinking has no scientific underpinning and could lead to serious unforeseen consequences for individuals such as a dangerous fall in their iron or calcium intake. It could also lead to an increase in eating disorders."

Meanwhile, the Health Development Agency said the committee was right to produce a "damning report".

"Obesity poses a massive risk to the health of the nation and we're facing a race against time to stop this problem becoming a national disaster," said HDA chief executive Paul Streets.

"Prevention is better than cure - ideally we should be striving for a society where there is no inappropriate weight gain in the first place, to stem the tide of obesity and related ill-health.

"We therefore welcome the report's recommendation for a framework on preventing and treating obesity within the NHS."