At a glance: Boris Johnson’s obesity strategy

The Prime Minister will officially reveal the details on Monday.

Boris Johnson is gearing up to announce his plan for slimming down the nation as part of his obesity strategy on Monday.

The measures are designed to tackle Britain’s bulging waistlines, with almost two-thirds of UK adults above a healthy weight, according to Government data.

The Department of Health said 36% of the country was deemed overweight and 28% was classed as obese, while one in three children aged 10 to 11 are overweight or obese.

Here are the key details of the strategy.

– Shops

Stores will be barred from pushing “buy one, get one free” promotions on unhealthy products as the Government looks to reduce the temptation to snack.

Sweets promotion — Promoting confectionery and other high-in-sugar foods at supermarket checkouts or store entrances will be banned under proposals in the obesity strategy (Mike Egerton/PA)

– Advertising

The Prime Minister’s strategy will put an end to junk food adverts on television and online before the 9pm watershed in a bid to shield youngsters at a time when their food preferences are being set.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he thought his weight played a part in requiring intensive care treatment for his Covid-19 symptoms (Evening Standard/Jeremy Selwyn)

– Calorie counting

Ministers will introduce new legislation forcing restaurants and takeaways with more than 250 employees to add calorie labels to their menus to assist diners in making more informed choices.

The Department of Health said a consultation would follow before the end of the year to help decide whether the same type of calorie labelling on alcohol should be required.

– Health service interventions

To help people lose the pounds, NHS weight management services will be expanding, with more smartphone apps rolled out with the purpose of improving lifestyle and overall health.

Bikes GPs — GPs will be encouraged to prescribe bike rides to help patients lose weight (Jane Barlow/PA)

GPs will be encouraged to prescribe exercise and other social activities to help people keep fit, with cycling pilots in the poorest areas set to provide bikes to entice people into upping their activity levels.

– Food packet labelling

A consultation – the third associated with the strategy – will gather evidence on how the current “traffic light” labelling system on food packets is being used by consumers and industry, while comparing it to other international examples.

The labelling is used to highlight the fat content and other barometers of how healthy a product is to help shoppers understand what is in the food they buy.