Previous Government efforts to reduce obesity levels included offering dance classes on the NHS. In November, TV watchdog Ofcom announced a ban on junk food adverts during programmes targeted at under-16s.
The Department of Health also plans to weigh children when they start school and send letters home if they're too fat.
The average Briton eats just over three portions of fruit and vegetables a day - well under the accepted five portions a day - and will get through 22,000 ready-meals, sandwiches and sweet snacks in a lifetime - almost one a day.
Obese and over-weight people can do much to alleviate their condition. Eating nutritiously healthy meals in moderate quantities, together with a routine of regular physical activity will not only stop the advance of obesity, it will reduce its affects.
To help with this, there are pills on the market, both prescription and non-prescription that will assist in fighting the problem and giving the sufferer some comfort.
A new product has recently been launched that's an improvement on many of the existing pills in that this product has been clinically evaluated, tested and proven to be a product that gets the results claimed by the distributors.
The obesity rates for British adults have increased almost four-fold in the last 25 years, meaning that Britain now occupies 2nd place behind the US on the international obesity table.
The medical conditions directly attributable to obesity are responsible for 9,000 early deaths, and cost the country up to £1 billion a year. Added to this figure is the cost of social stigmatisation, job discrimination and depression brought about by feelings of being an outcast.
An obese person can have a life-span up to 9 years less than a non-obese person, early deaths being caused by a multitude of conditions - type 2 diabetes, numerous heart complaints, various forms of cancer, sleep apnea, and depression.
A spokesman for the British Heart Foundation said: "Being over-weight or obese is a serious risk factor for heart disease and something we all need to work on to sort out. The good thing is that there are lots of things over-weight and obese people can do to make a difference such as combining healthy eating and activity."
LibDem health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "To be bottom of the European league table is a dire situation to be in. Although food manufacturers have made some progress in making food healthier, more needs to be done."
Showing the data according to gender, the British women are the fattest in Europe, with almost one in four at least 28lbs to 42lbs above their ideal weight. German women come 2nd on this list with a rate of 21.7%, with Malta 3rd with 21.2%. The country with the best figure is Italy, where only 8% of women are obese.
As far as men goes, the dubious honour of having the most obese men goes to Malta, with a figure of 25.1%. Second place goes to Britain with a figure of 22.3%, followed by Hungary and Germany. Romania has the best record for males with an obesity rate of 7.7%.
The degree of obesity is measured by calculating a person's Body Mass Index. This is the medically accepted standard that is derived from a mathematical formula that takes into account a person's weight and height.
This report only looked at obesity amongst adults, but previous surveys that have looked at obesity rates amongst children have provided figures that are just as startling.
These figures show that in Britain the incidence of child obesity has increased three-fold in the last 20 years, so that today 10% of 6 year olds and 17% of 15 year olds are classed as being obese.
This report will add to the fear that Britain is facing a public health time-bomb created by a growing reliance on fast food and time-saving technology.
Health experts warn that unless the Government acts now, an entire generation of people face old age with the prospects of being affected by heart disease, diabetes, several forms of cancer, and other diseases brought on by obesity.
Neville Rigby, of the International Obesity Task Force, said: "We are not just sitting on a health time-bomb, we are watching it about to go off."
And Dr. Colin Waine, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "The health risks are tremendous, but the statistics are still up exponentially. We need the Government to work with food manufacturers to produce a diet which is nutritious but less dense in sugar, salt and fat. We need to make motorised transport less necessary and make it easier for people to walk and cycle to where they need to go."
The respected EuroStat Yearbook puts Britain firmly at the top of the European obesity league of 27 nations. Second and third places are taken by Germany and Malta.
EuroStat Obesity Figures |
% of Adult Men |
% of Adult Women |
|
Malta |
25.1% |
UK |
23.0% |
| UK |
22.3% |
Germany |
21.7% |
| Hungary |
19.7% |
Malta |
21.2% |
| Germany |
18.8% |
Latvia |
19.0% |
| Lithuania |
16.3% |
Hungary |
18.1% |
| Ireland |
15.1% |
Estonia |
16.7% |
| Finland |
14.7% |
Portugal |
15.9% |
| Czech Rep |
13.5% |
Lithuania |
15.8% |
| Slovakia |
13.5% |
Czech Rep |
15.3% |
| Portugal |
13.4% |
Slovakia |
15.0% |
| |
|
|
|
|
The magnitude of the obesity problem in the UK was recently emphasised with the release of a report by the EU's Statistical Office on the percentage of obese people in each country.
Almost a quarter of women and over a fifth of men are classified as being obese, a situation that puts their long-term health at risk.
At the head of the women's list is the UK, with 23% classed as obese. The men's list is headed by Malta with UK men next with 22.3%.
These depressing figures show quite clearly that UK women are now officially the most over-weight group in Europe, with the men not far behind.
Latest European Obesity Statistics
