18th January 2023
Prof Jebb, chairwoman of the Food Standards Agency, making the comments in a personal capacity, not as the FSA head, highlighted the individual choice to eat sweets, but adding people can help each other by providing a "supportive environment".
“We all like to think we’re rational, intelligent, educated people who make informed choices the whole time and we undervalue the impact of the environment,” she told the Times....If nobody brought in cakes into the office, I would not eat cakes in the day, but because people do bring cakes in, I eat them. Now, OK, I have made a choice, but people were making a choice to go into a smoky pub.”
I was interviewed on Five News on my views on this as an obesity specialist dietitian. It is a clear fact that there are people who struggle more than others. For some having treat foods around them is no temptation at all. For others it can overwhelm their standard control mechanisms and become a daily battle leading to feelings of failure and guilt and on into a spiral of mental decline into no hope. Placing the one foods they struggle with at arms reach is a placing a black hole too easy to fall into.
Some simple office planning, keeping challenges out of reach and out of mind can allow all to make the choices they want to make.