Scotland aims to half childhood obesity by 2030

Scotland will aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

How the target will be achieved will be revealed in the Scottish Government's Healthy Weight and Diet plan, due to be published in summer 2018.

Currently, 29% of children in Scotland are at risk of being overweight, including 14% who are at risk of being obese.

The First Minister announced the commitment while meeting campaigner and chef Jamie Oliver to discuss joint action to tackle child obesity and unhealthy eating.

The First Minister said: “Our guiding ambition is to halve child obesity in Scotland by 2030 and we’ll outline in our forthcoming Healthy Weight plan how we will develop the necessary actions to achieve this, and help everybody make healthy choices about food.

“As part of this, we will tackle junk food promotions and the marketing of unhealthy food, such as multi-buys, that encourage overconsumption. To ensure that the steps we take are proportionate and deliver beneficial outcomes, we will consult widely with consumers, suppliers and retailers following the release of the new plan.

Jamie Oliver said: “First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has shown she cares about the health of Scotland's kids by committing to halving childhood obesity in the next 12 years. We look forward to seeing her strong multi-layered strategy.”