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‘I’ve seen 18-stone 12-year-olds, the Government must stop ‘attacking’ our farmers if they want to tackle ‘unprecedented’ obesity’ - Sleaford and North Hykeham MP




The Government must stop ‘attacking’ Lincolnshire’s farmers if they want to tackle an ‘unprecedented’ rise in obesity, an MP has said.

Dr Caroline Johnson (Con) told Parliament she had seen an 18-stone 12-year-old and nine-year-old who weighed almost 15 stone during her years in the medical profession, during a debate on Monday.

“Many honourable members have discussed the lack of affordable food, but they did not recognise or heed support for those growing our food and our fruit and veg,” said the Sleaford and North Hykeham MP, whose constituency includes Ancaster, Long Benington, Caythorpe, Fulbeck and Leadenham.

Dr Caroline Johnson
Dr Caroline Johnson

“Instead, this Government have so far attacked our farmers with high taxes during their lifetime and at death.

“That will only increase the price of fruit and veg.

Lincolnshire grows 20% of the country’s vegetables, but the Labour Government seek to carpet our beautiful farmland with miles and miles of solar panels, reducing the area available for growing healthy fruit and veg, increasing imports and prices.”

Dr Caroline Johnson. Photo: UK Parliament
Dr Caroline Johnson. Photo: UK Parliament

During the debate, in which Stroud MP Simon Opher moved ‘that this House has considered the impact of food and diet on obesity’, Dr Johnson - who declared an interest as a ‘children’s doctor and farmer’s wife’- spelled out some of the most extreme obesity cases she has dealt with.

“As a children’s doctor, I have seen children with significant medical complications from obesity, including a child of 12 who weighed over 120 kg and a child of nine who weighed over 95 kg,” she said.

“Doctors and other clinicians have a responsibility to let people know of the harms of obesity, but they do not always do so.

Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham.
Dr Caroline Johnson, MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

“That is partly because of time constraints and because there is not necessarily a clear path to point the individual towards.

“Such messages can also be received with hostility, which is another deterrent.”

Dr Johnson added: “We all want to live healthy lives. It gives us a healthy life expectancy, reduces illness burden and gives us more happy years to spend with those whom we love.

“However, beginning in the second half of the 20th century and continuing today, the developed world has seen an unprecedented rise in obesity levels.

“The growth of high-calorie processed food and sugary drinks, along with our more sedentary lifestyles, has undoubtedly played a key role. In the UK, two thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese. According to the recent House of Lords report, over a fifth of children are overweight or obese before they even start school, and by the time they leave school, that number has doubled.”

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