After brush with COVID-19 PM was concerned about obesity, but no policy has yet emerged. Now snippets are starting to dribble out. Unnamed source says "first [step is] nutrition-focused, getting people’s BMIs down over the next three or four months" https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/11/no-10-plans-weight-loss-drive-to-ready-uk-for-expected-covid-19-second-wave?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet

And then after that (when? Sometime in 2021, 2022?) "we can start thinking in the longer term. But for now it’s about getting people as ready for the next wave as we can.”

So, the narrative is all about reducing the death toll in the second pandemic wave this autumn...

So, why is this a flawed strategy?

1. The population burden of obesity has developed over decades. The likelihood of 'fixing ' this in 3-4 months (incidentally, the autumn will be here in 2...) is very low.

2. The likelihood of fixing this with high agency behavioural interventions, such as commercial weight loss groups & apps, both have which have been mooted, is even lower.

3. Attempting this while promoting & financially incentivising eating out and going to pubs is incoherent

So, this is (yet another) example of a short sighted & poorly thought out strategy. Government had had more than enough expert advice on obesity over a long period. They even have good proposals on the table in Childhood Obesity Plans 1-3. The decision to ignore it is political