UK government in healthy eating drive

The British government is ramping up efforts to persuade English families to eat healthier, more affordable meals.

More than a thousand supermarket stores across the country are offering discounts on healthy ingredients such as fruit and veg and low fat yoghurts as part of the Department of Health’s Change 4 Life public health campaign.

Four million recipe cards are also being distributed to members of the public, while a recipe finder to help households plan cheaper, more nutritious meals, will launch online.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “Shockingly, research has found that the second most popular evening meal is a sandwich opposed to a balanced meal.

“This doesn’t have to be the case. If we plan our meals and shopping we can save money and make healthier choices at mealtimes.”

Meanwhile, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has published a free cookbook containing a month’s worth of popular, healthy recipes which can be created for under £5.

He has also filmed YouTube cooking tutorials which will be posted on the Change 4 Life website as part of the nation-wide Supermeals initiative.

Public Health Minister Anne Milton said: “The New Year is a good time to think about losing weight. The Supermeals campaign will give us all some great ideas for balanced meals on a budget.”

Harriott added: “Sometimes the thought of making meals from scratch can seem a bit daunting, but I have always tried to assure people that cooking at home can be really quick, easy and doesn’t need to break the bank.

“This campaign is a great way to give people the tools and imagination they need to get back into the kitchen and give cooking a try”.