Mandatory food reformulation could prevent 4.5 million people from becoming overweight or obese in the UK, a new study suggests.
Experts from the Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University of London, found that a strategy to reduce fat content in manufactured and out-of-home foods by 20% over five years could cut the prevalence of overweight and obesity by 6.8%.
They said that, as a result, 4.5 million fewer people would go on to become overweight and obese.
This reduction in energy intake would result in an average weight loss of nearly 6lb (2.7kg) over five years, they said.
Their study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, estimates that over 20 years this could prevent 183,000 cases of type 2 diabetes.