Type 2 diabetes.
Treatment of type 2 diabetes is costing the NHS in the UK over £12 billion a year or around 10% of the annual budget.
As it is mostly self inflicted due to lifestyle although there is a genetic component . This cannot continue so there must be a way to make/coerce/encourage people to live more healthy lifestyles.
We have made a small start by imposing a sugar tax and a minimum price on alcohol but it is not nearly enough.
People bleat about freedom of choice but when others pay for that choice changes have to be made by law if need be.
What do others think ?
The majority of peoples dietary info and choices comes from the way food manufacturers and vendors market and sell their products. Education won't cut it. The govt would actually have to step in and start to subsidize certain foods (not food manufacturers) and subsidize stores that sell those foods/ pay them more than their distributors pay them, not to put the gigantic display of junk food at the front of the store.
That's why the govt must take action. Sweets have been removed from checkout aisles in supermarkets here which is a start.
Jamie Oliver the celebrity cook had a campaign to try to make school meals healthier and I saw the poor guy in tears when he was obstructed by apathetic schools at every turn.
Obviously there are no votes in trying to keep people healthy.