The RCP is a founding member of the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA), a coalition of over 40 influential organisations working together to reduce obesity; one of the UK’s biggest public health challenges.
The RCP along with eight other health organisations sits on the steering group which leads the OHA; committed to the prevention of obesity-related ill-health by sharing expertise and insight, developing and advocating evidence-based policy recommendations and influencing decision makers and the media.
Established in 2015, the OHA has lobbied government policy on a range of issues:
- Pre watershed junk food marketing on live and on-demand TV
- Healthier food and drink products promoted in prominent locations in shops
- Mandatory calorie labelling
- Sugar reduction in food
- Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), payable by manufacturers to HMRC – which became law in 2018.
The coronavirus pandemic has heightened public interest in obesity; the OHA revealed in June 2020, that in light of the potential link between obesity and COVID-19 there is now increasing public support for the government to prioritise action on reducing obesity.
Visit the website