No more homemade cookies for a birthday or local specialties brought from a trip? In any case, this is what Susan Jebb of the Food Standards Agency (the British executive agency in charge of protecting public health in food matters) asks our colleagues in the Times.
According to her, the act of bringing cakes, cookies or candy for your office colleagues could be similar to passive smoking.
“If nobody brought cakes to the office, I wouldn’t eat cakes during the day, but because people bring cakes, I eat them. Ok, I made up my mind, but people made up their minds to go to a smoky pub.” “she told British media.
In a context where the majority of Britons between the ages of 45 and 74 are overweight or obese, according to the Times Health Commission, the temptation would be too great for employees.
“We can make their efforts more effective if we have a supportive environment,” Susan Jebb pleaded then.
The government steps back
Although it is a food safety organization, the Food Standards Agency is not attached to a ministry. That is why the government has distanced itself somewhat from this recommendation.
Contacted by the BBC, the prime minister’s spokesman said Rishi Sunak, “very fond of a piece of cake”, thought “personal choice should be part of our approach”.
In other words, while the government takes obesity issues very seriously, “the way to deal with this problem is not to stop people from bringing treats to co-workers from time to time.”
Source: BFM TV
