Brits could get rewards for healthy eating under new obesity plans
British families could be handed rewards for switching to healthier food and exercising under new proposals in the government’s war on obesity.
The scheme will monitor family supermarket spending and reward those who reduce their calorie consumption and buy more fruit and vegetables.
People increasing their exercise by taking part in organised events or walking to school will also be given extra points in a new app.
These points could then be exchanged for discounts, free tickets or other incentives, the Telegraph reported.
The scheme, which is set to be launched in January, form part of Boris Johnson’s drive to crack down on obesity in the UK.
The prime minister blamed his weight for his own hospitalisation with Covid last year.
He has tapped Sir Keith Mills, the entrepreneur who set up Air Miles and the Nectar loyalty scheme and helped run the London Olympics, to lead the plans.
“There is a whole team in Downing Street working on this, and the Prime Minister thinks that we simply cannot go on as before and that we must now tackle it head on,” a Whitehall source told the Telegraph.
“He has been on a very rigorous diet and exercise programme and it is likely he will play a leading role in fronting this whole campaign.”
The UK has one of the worst obesity rates, with two in three adults either overweight or obese.
The rewards scheme comes after the government pushed ahead with a ban on TV junk food advertising before 9pm.
A food strategy review published earlier this month called for a new £3bn tax on salt and sugar, though Johnson said he was opposed to introducing “extra taxes on hard-working people”.