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@blue_fleet
^ But as pointed out on the recent 'The people that made us fat' series on the telebox the tactics used by the food industry to fight regulation mirror those used by the tobacco industry.
Not sure if its happened yet but obesity was set to overtake smoking as the biggest cost to the NHS so the problem and associated costs are very real.
There have been calls for stricter regulation for a while but there is big money at stake, and there's lots of behind the scenes lobbying going on, (just like the extensive lobbying that 'convinced' the coalition to not pursue the plain packaging on cigarettes earlier this year) which is why the coalition in its infinite wisdom has decided to let the food industry regulate itself with voluntary agreements, which is the fox guarding the hen house scenario.
I think the regulation will get there eventually but there is a long fight ahead. I think the answer is to use similar strategies and tactics that the tobacco control lobby used, an example would be to focus on the children, as they did the with 2nd hand smoke argument. As an adult you are free to shovel as much shit into your face as you want, but seeing obese 5 and 6 year olds plays on the heart strings and is seen by many as tantamount to abuse.
When I worked in Westminster a few years ago over 40% of 5 year olds starting primary schools were overweight or obese, and it is stats like that, which despite all the advances of modern medicine, will see a generation of children die before their parents due to poor diet and lack of exercise.