Jamie Oliver's Advice on Childhood Obesity: Act Like A Parent

Jeremy Oliver, a world-renowned chef and health campaigner, has campaigned nutrition issues of children since 2005. Now he's criticizing the planned sugar tax published last August 2016; being the only part of childhood obesity action plan that will impel food manufacturers to alter their food production practices.

The government's childhood obesity action plans depend on voluntary action by the drink and food industries and are shorn of any restrictions on junk food advertising and marketing, the Guardian reported. A lot of people, however, particularly health campaigners and experts, have critiqued the childhood obesity strategy of the government as embarrassing and weak.

According to Irish Examiner, Oliver, a father of five children, told Radio Times Magazine: "Everything about the childhood obesity strategy that's just come out is a complete stinking herring. It's a terrible job Theresa May's done there. Unforgivable." And he added, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not slagging her off for the sake of it. I wanted her to act not like a politician but a parent."

When his interviewer informed Oliver that Theresa May is not even a parent, he replied: "I didn't know that." "But if you look at the strategy, the only thing that's mandatory -- and I can honestly tell you that I put that there -- is the sugary drink tax," he continued.

Oliver complained about the decision of the government to step back from utilizing regulation like limiting junk food ban promotion or advertising of sweets and junk foods in supermarket counters. According to Oliver, it is the same old bull that has not worked for 20 years.

When lessening sugar is concerned, Oliver has argued, the government must "frankly, act like a parent." "Now is the time to say, 'If you're giving your young children fizzy drinks you're an arsehole, you're a tosser. If you give them bags of crisps you're an idiot.' If you aren't cooking them a hot meal, sort it out," Oliver said in a preview to his new TV show Jamie's Return to School Dinners.