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The relentless rise of obesity shows no signs of abating.  That is the conclusion made today by Colin Waine on behalf of the Forum, and quoted widely this morning.  The organisation believes that "concerted government action" and a shift in people's attitudes are key to making a real change.

Healthy eating has come under focus increasingly during the past year, and later this month new proposals for cracking down on the problem of obesity will be discussed at the British Medical Association's (BMA) annual conference. Proposals include considering obesity in young children as "neglect" and taking obese children under 12 into care.  He said that the government must focus on improving the health of obese people as well as preventing future cases of obesity.

"Whilst a lot of people are doing a lot to help obese people, we still lack really concerted government action to alter the environment," he said.  ¬ì"We've got stone-age genes in a 21st century environment where we've evolved where food has never really been as plentiful as it is now and we've never exercised less than we do now. So we really do need some environmental restructuring to make the whole environment less obesogenic."