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Senedd Members warned of a public health emergency due to the dominance of ultra-processed food in people’s diets. 

Labour’s Jenny Rathbone led a debate on a cross-party motion which was co-submitted by the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru.

She told the Senedd: “The food industry spends billions promoting our disastrous diets and we have to use the power of community to fight back.”

Ms Rathbone warned: “There’s no time to lose. The ever-escalating diabetes epidemic is already devouring 17% of the NHS budget.

“The levels of malnutrition among hospital patients are prolonging patient stays, and the main driver of early death and chronic illness is not smoking but our obesogenic diets.”

‘Getting worse’

The Conservatives’ Peter Fox introduced an ultimately unsuccessful bill on sustainable production and food security in 2021.

“We don’t need data to show that things are getting worse,” said Mr Fox, a farmer and former council leader. “It’s clearly evident all around us.

“We see growing levels of obesity across our population and, worryingly, a significant rise in childhood obesity leading to serious health-related issues, such as childhood diabetes.”

During the February 12 debate, Plaid Cŷmru’s Llyr Gruffydd warned that too many people in Wales struggle to access fresh, healthy and affordable food.

He urged ministers to make greater use of public procurement to improve food in schools, hospitals and care homes while supporting Welsh producers.

‘National emergency’

Labour’s Lee Waters broadly agreed, telling the Senedd that only about 6% of fruit and veg used by the Welsh public sector is grown in Wales.

He said: “What’s stopping us from supporting Welsh farmers and buying local? Well, we don’t grow enough veg for a start, so there’s an opportunity for farmers to embrace horticulture to create new sources of income.”

But the former minister stressed the need to influence the private sector, with the value of all public food procurement equivalent to the annual turnover of one big supermarket.

Warning of a public health emergency, Alun Davies, a fellow Labour backbencher, urged the Welsh Government to put food centre stage.

He said: “I think it’s no exaggeration to say that obesity is an absolute national emergency and it’s not a national emergency that is an act of God; it’s an act of capitalism.”

‘Pale imitation’

Huw Irranca-Davies said the Welsh Government’s community food strategy would be published as soon as possible as he pointed to spending on local food partnerships.

The Deputy First Minister, who is responsible for food policy, described the food sector as a real success story employing 228,000 people or 17% of Wales’s workforce.

Ms Rathbone argued the community food strategy will be insufficient, warning a lack of follow through and rigorous execution has left Wales a very pale imitation of Scotland.

She said: “France and Italy would never have allowed their children to be sold the second-class food that is being served in our schools today.

“And I want to see the commitment to actually ban ultra-processed food from all public procurement – that is what we need to work towards.

“We can’t achieve it overnight but we need to set a date and do it.”