Did Joe Wicks Just Declare War on Ultra-Processed Food?

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1:01Joe Wicks:Welcome to this week's episode of The Unprocessed Truth, where we're talking about warning labels, killer idea or just killer headlines from Joe Wicks and his new documentary. We'll get into the unprocessed truth and the nuance so that you can understand what it's all about. Last night on Channel 4, Joe Wicks' documentary called Licence to Kill Ed, and he built a deliberately provocative killer protein bar to make a point that the UK needs front of pack warning labels on ultra processed foods that are high in sugar, high in calories, and have problems for unhealth. But let's unpack this a bit further, because on one hand, you've got the fitness community going outraged that Joe Wicks is targeting protein bars and protein bars are a healthier choice compared to a chocolate bar.

1:52Joe Wicks:And on the other side, You've got the kind of clean eating, anti-ultra processed food movement who are saying this is a good campaign and this would help. So who do you believe? Well, let's strip away the noise. Joe is not calling for bans on treats. He himself is very clear that he sometimes has treats and he, you know, has a sweet tooth and he tries his best. And that's the reality of all of us. Nobody is perfect. All he's asking for is better warning labels on the pack to help people make healthier choices and create a healthier food environment. Sure, you can still enjoy your chocolate and your treats, but you should know what it's doing to your body.

2:37Joe Wicks:So Chile actually pioneered this in 2016. they made a really big deal of putting warning labels not only on packaging but also on tv adverts and any advertisements that said this is high in sugar this is high in calories and called out ultra processed foods in a way that's never been done before and what they found was purchases of high sugar foods and drinks fell by 23 percent what's more overall calories bought by households dropped by over 10%. So for the calorie bros who are just worried about calories and obesity, yes, it also helps that because calorie consumption goes down overall, which would help the weight problem we have in the UK with 63 % of the UK overweight or obese.

3:25Joe Wicks:And what's more is 15 % of products targeted at kids were reformulated to be healthier so that they didn't have to have the warning labels on them. And that's huge because that means food manufacturers are going to make their products better. And, you know, the reality is we've done warning labels before. We put it on cigarettes, so why can't we put it on ultra-processed food? So what else happened in Chile? Well, they didn't just use the labels. They also used restrictions on child direct marketing. So you couldn't have cartoon characters. You couldn't market to kids specifically, which is a good thing, especially when it's ultra processed and the UK is starting to put water sheds in of when they can advertise certain foods.

4:15Joe Wicks:That is a good thing. And basically why labels do work comes down to the psychology. We're tired when we shop, we shop quickly, we're distracted and often the back of pack's invisible to us. So a bold front of pack warning is a real kind of slap you in the face moment that makes you reconsider and would interrupt that shopping journey in a way that the backer pack labels never can. So let's get into the critics and what they're saying. Well, they're saying this is scaremongering. You're going to demonize foods and cause people problems. Well, the campaign is deliberately provocative to get attention.

4:54Joe Wicks:And sure, it oversimplifies the complex UPF debate. But really, let's be real. We have to have a frank conversation about this. Yes, some people might start worrying about what foods they put in their body, but probably that's a good thing because if you look at the state of the health, 63 % overweight or obese, kids are now seven centimetres shorter than European kids due to lack of nutrition in their diet. This is a really big problem that affects over half the population. So we need to get mass market attention and change happening in this space. It really isn't scaremongering. It's also just information.

5:37Joe Wicks:Putting a black label that says high in sugar is not scaremongering. It's fact. It's intellectual information about the product. And it's that simple. Some people have called out Joe for being hypocritical because, sure, in the past, he launched a range of protein powders in 2019. But frankly, that was almost seven years ago. Information and data and our understanding of the science has come a long way since then. So you can't criticise what someone did seven years ago. They're entitled to change. And I believe he's changed for the better. And he's looking to help the UK with their health. And we should be judging really the policy.

6:18Joe Wicks:And the policy of putting these labels on has data to support how effective can be. This isn't a personality contest, whether we judge whether we like Joe Wicks or not. And so some analysis, the other point is some analysis would also show that, you know, brands would just swap out for less sugar or more sweeteners. You know, they would try and find their ways around this. And that's absolutely true. So food companies will always try and find their way around things and work within guidelines. But this isn't this is just simple information. High in sugar is something that should be shared with people.

6:56Joe Wicks:We know sugar is bad for us. And whilst some industry might get around it, some industry, as proved in Chile, also will formulate their products to be better for people's health. So we're seeing huge impact from this study in Chile, which has been in place since 2016, as I said, which is a long time, which is a lot amount of data, which we should be looking at. Now, another point is equity, affordability and shame. So obviously, the lower income families and households typically tend to overeat ultra processed food and the cost of living crisis makes this even worse. So somewhere these labels will stigmatize families that are buying basically what's affordable.

7:36Joe Wicks:but my view is the ultimate form of clarity and respect is giving people the information right it's up to them whether they make the choice a warning doesn't judge it just helps people understand so we have to have the honest conversation we have to change the environment we're in and i totally believe in we should make healthy food affordable and accessible and 100 % that should be another campaign. But at the same time, we can also look to make it clearer and help educate people that these ultra-processed foods are bad because not only will some families make a better choice for them, but also food manufacturers will reformulate to avoid those warnings.

8:20Joe Wicks:So once you pair food labels with better education and with manufacturers trying to reformulate, you get this system where you end up creating a better food environment for everyone. So fundamentally, I agree with the campaign. I think we should have front of pack binary warnings that explain this is, you know, high in sugar on the front of pack. Really, really simple. You know, we can phase this in over time to give the industry time to improve recipes. You know, if we say that we're going to implement these warnings in two years, that would allow the food industry to reformulate and make the things healthier before they do that if they want to avoid it.

9:01Joe Wicks:And, you know, plain language education is what we're about. We have to have the difficult conversation. I know it's uncomfortable, but I think we have to face into this on all levels, from government to industry and to people and education. So if we all look at it together and we vote with our wallet, we can really, really make a big difference to where we go. Some people will say, well, not all UPFs are equal, right? Some UPFs can be healthy, others can be unhealthy, which is true. And you'll hear that dose makes the poison. So that is also true. If you eat, you know, three protein bars a day versus if you eat one a year, big, big difference.

9:42Joe Wicks:But the warning labels aren't going to stop you from doing that. They're just here to guide you in the right way and help you on your journey. So I really think we need to level the playing field for everybody. We need honesty in the food products that are on the shelf to help people understand health. It's very, very complicated. It's very complicated at the moment. I get parents coming to me all the time about what to buy for their kids. They don't know what's healthy, what isn't. And that's why our socials have gone viral. But this can be communicated precisely without sensationalism on the front of pack in a way that helps inform people, better designs, food manufacturers making better products.

10:27Joe Wicks:And I think it can make a really, really big difference. So to anyone who's listening who's in the food industry, this is an opportunity for you guys. you know, Chile has shown us that companies can adapt and reformulate and those products will sell more. So if you get ahead of the curve, you innovate with your products and you make them healthier, we can change the food industry from within. And that will fundamentally lead into people making better choices. Now, I hope that the documentary gets the government's attention, whether it will or won't, I'm not sure. But even doing something like this would statistically bring down the disease epidemic on the NHS.

11:07Joe Wicks:So if you love the NHS, it would make sense to promote and support this campaign because the more we help people be healthier, the less cost burden of diet related diseases are on the NHS. So we really have the power to change. We really have to start with ourselves, vote with our wallet, choose healthier products, but at the same time campaign government for better legislation. And at the same time, speak to your food companies, speak to people in industry and try and get them to make their products healthier. This isn't a personality debate whether you like Joe Wicks or not. This is a fundamental campaign for a healthier society, a healthier UK and saving the NHS and the tax burden that's on us all today, right?

11:52Joe Wicks:Because the more we have to spend on the NHS, the more our taxes are going up and everyone is struggling and I feel that pain. We need to make it accessible for everybody. We need to make it available for everybody and we need to make it affordable for everybody. But the thing that people miss is often the more we invest and promote healthier foods, it's not that we're making people spend more money. It's that the more we invest in the healthier areas of the store, the economies of scale will come into those areas and the prices will come down. So we can make healthier food cheaper we just all have to focus on it from government to yourself with what you put in your trolley every week and to industry to design and make better healthier for you innovation so that's my view let's get the world and the UK healthier we can do this guys