Sharon says some ready meals should carry a skull and crossbones they are so bad for you!
Campaign to ban killer ready meals
When you're a busy politician you don't have much time to make your own meals from scratch! Just like lots of other hardworking people, Sharon and her team all rely on the occasional ready meal when meetings run late as an easy food option.
However, Sharon was shocked to find looking at one of her staff's meals that just one small portion of macaroni cheese was packed with 180% of a person's recommended level of saturated fat for a whole day!
Sharon then looked into the issue and found that this is a real source of concern, with the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) saying that thousands of lives could be saved if high levels of saturated fat in processed food are reduced.
As a first step, Sharon wrote to the European Commission expressing her concern and asking what steps could be taken to ensure that single size portions do not exceed 100% of the recommended daily allowance. She also called upon the food industry to take more responsibility for producing food that does not exceed these guidelines.
She then wrote to the UK's Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley MP, calling on the Department of Health to include a reduction of saturated fat in readymeals in its new Responsibility Deal (announced in 2011) - an initiative designed to tackle poor diet in the UK.
According to the Food Standards Agency the Recommended Daily Allowance of saturated is 30g for a man and 20g for a woman. That should be plenty of room for food to still be delicious and appealing.
Sharon said "Some of these meals should have a skull and cross bones on them warning consumers of the risk to their health."
"We all enjoy a naughty food treat every so often, but that should be the consumers choice to do so. These ready meals are being eaten with consumers often blissfully unaware of the fat intake in just one small meal. It is of course up to individuals what they wish to eat, but the food industry and government do bear the responsibility of playing fair."
Show your support
If you would like to support Sharon's campaign to reduce the levels of saturated fats in ready meals, write to:
Andrew Lansley MP, Department of Health, Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
or use this Department of Health web-form to express your concern. Then email Sharon and let her know you are joining her campaign!
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