Jamie Oliver underwhelmed government plans to combat child obesity

Health campaigners have called on the Government to take bold action to tackle the nation's obesity epidemic as reports suggest its much-anticipated obesity strategy could be published imminently.

Theresa May’s Government has been accused of “watering down” the long-awaited plan, which does not include curbs on junk food advertising despite repeated calls from campaigners.

Instead, the strategy favours a voluntary scheme for the food industry to reformulate children’s products to reduce sugar.

Campaigners have branded the plan a “shocking abdication” of the Government’s duties.

The reaction has forced senior Government officials to deny reports that the Prime Minister removed the strongest proposals in a bid to spare businesses from new restrictions post-Brexit.

TV chef Jamie Oliver, who was instrumental in pushing the Government to introduce a sugar tax, said: “This was Britain’s opportunity to lead the way and to implement real, meaningful environmental change, to start removing the crippling financial burden from our NHS and reversing the tide of diet-related disease.

“With this disappointing and, frankly, underwhelming strategy, the health of our future generations remains at stake.”

Responding to claims that the childhood obesity strategy was a priority for David Cameron but not his successor Mrs May, financial secretary to the Treasury Jane Ellison told BBC Radio 4: “No, that’s not right.”

She added: “We’ve looked at a whole range of policies over the past year, this is the plan that we’re putting forward, it’s a cross-Government plan.”

As part of the plan, ministers hope the food industry will cut 20 per cent of sugar from the foods children enjoy, such as cereals, yoghurt, sweets, breads and desserts, by 2020, with a five per cent cut in the first year.

Government officials said they opted for a voluntary sugar reduction scheme over legislation so the food industry could start taking steps to reduce sugar immediately, rather than waiting for the law to be changed.

Also central to the plan is the previously announced sugar tax on soft drinks that will come into force from 2018.

Malcolm Clark, spokesman for the Children’s Food Campaign, said: “This is a truly shocking abdication of the Government’s duties to secure the health and future of the next generation.”

“This strategy was meant to be published a year ago; we’ve had a year of delays and now it has been watered down.”

Chair of the British Medical Association’s board of science, Professor Parveen Kumar, said Government has failed at a time when poor diet and a bombardment of junk food marketing have become features of children’s lives.

Under the plan, primary schools will be asked to help pupils get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day and voluntary “healthy schools ratings” will come in.

Public Health England will also report on whether the industry is reducing sugar content and will consider “whether alternative levers need to be used”.

Paul Gately, professor of exercise and obesity at Leeds Beckett University, said obesity costs the NHS £6.1bn annually but Government invests only around £30m a year tackling it. He added: “This stark difference is so significant and, for me, this is a strategy of inaction, not action.”