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On 19 January, the New Statesman, with the support of Compass Group plc, hosted a round-table discussion on whether nutrition is a public policy issue. Surveys show that people are more concerned with diet than ever before. But the increase in chronic diseases associated with poor nutrition, from mental illness to heart disease and diabetes, shows that the healthy eating messages are not getting through to people. Poor diet now costs the NHS billions of pounds, so what can be done to reverse these worrying trends? The representatives from education, research, prisons, media, government and the food and drinks industry who took part in this discussion agreed that a more focused and targeted approach is needed to ensure that people are empowered to make informed choices. Some participants felt that the emphasis should be placed on educating children’s palates, teaching hands-on cookery skills. Others felt that reaching parents is crucial, and that training home helps and carers would make a huge difference. What was clear from the discussion was that an NHS that focuses on prevention is key to change. With a combined approach, future generations will hopefully not only only live longer, but remain healthy for longer, too.

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