How is Britain getting it so wrong when talking to young people about food, weight and their bodies? |
By Daniel Herman
Young people today are navigating a food and digital environment that’s nothing like the one politicians grew up in.
Yet the national conversation still leans on outdated ideas about willpower, discipline and personal responsibility.
From ultra-processed diets shaped by affordability to social media feeds that turbo-charge body anxiety, Britain keeps blaming individuals instead of fixing the environment they’re raised in.
The UK food system makes the unhealthy option the easy option:
UPFs are cheaper than fresh food, especially for students and lower-income families and our high streets are saturated with fast food and HFSS promotions.
Online food advertising is unregulated in practice, with TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pushing irresistible convenience products directly into teenage feeds.
Telling young people to “eat better” in this environment is like telling them to “just breathe better” in polluted air. It’s not lack discipline it’s structural........