Whilst I have been a vocal supporter in Parliament of the need to tackle childhood obesity, I am by no means a shining example. My childhood was fuelled by sugar and E numbers that had me running around convinced that one day I would be a professional cricketer, or the next Gary Lineker, inspired by whatever sport happened to be on the telly. The year was 1986 and politicians hadn’t given a second thought to Frosties.
Listening to Andy Burnham this weekend (over my bowl of Frosties), it occurred to me that, whilst I ate additives that would probably strip paint and enough sugar to power a small town, I was never overweight.
Politicians are missing the point on childhood obesity. The problem cannot be attributed to diet alone. When I was young, housing estates were not the sprawling concrete jungles that they often are now, but afforded their residents access to green open space.
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