Lighter London flagship food boroughs launch

18 Jul 2014

Today Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, and Henry Dimbleby, co-author of the School Food Plan, announced Croydon and Lambeth as the Lighter London flagship food boroughs.

Read the full press release here.

In articles in the Guardian and the Evening Standard, Rosie Boycott – Chair of the London Food Board and champion for the Mayor’s Lighter London initiative – stated that our entire relationship with food has to change if we are to tackle the obesity crisis. “Food is a drug, and we have to learn to say no… inactivity is no longer excusable. That’s why, this week, we are launching an initiative in two London boroughs, Lambeth and Croydon, to transform the way we eat. We’re starting with the schools, building on the School Food Plan… But it doesn’t stop there: we’re going to lobby fast food outlets, local restaurants, supermarkets and food manufacturers to change how and what they sell.”

Read the full article in the Guardian here

Read the full article in the Evening Standard here

As one of the actions in the School Food Plan, the Mayor of London, working with the London Food Board, and the Department for Education committed to jointly funding two flagship food boroughs in London, with initial funding of £1.2 million. The aim of the flagships is to significantly improve health and attainment across the whole population by transforming the food environment, using schools as a catalyst to drive this change.

Read more about the London Flagship Boroughs here