No, Dr Wollaston, it is not your job to dictate what we eat and drink

Dr Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative MP for Totnes, was recently elected as Chairman of the Health Select Committee. The former GP has not wasted any time in trying to dictate Government policy, and in her first major interview since taking up her new role, she told the Daily Telegraph that “supersized” food and drink should be banned by law.

If a retailers want to sell products in a variety of sizes, and customers want to buy them, they are private transactions and have nothing to do with the Government. Also, as with all of these hairbrained schemes, this proposal won’t work. If you still feel hungry after eating  a “regular” portion of food, you will buy something else, although Dr Wollaston freely admits this is what many people will do. “There is nothing to stop people buying two packets of something if you really want that volume of extra calories”, she said, “but most of us wouldn’t choose to; most of us would go for the default size.”

So she thinks that most people wouldn’t buy a larger portion, whilst others would simply buy extra portions. Why then does she feel the need for legislation? When I am asked if I would like a larger portion, I generally refuse because I don’t have very large appetite. There are occasions though when I am feeling more hungry than normal, and I do opt for a larger portion. That’s what responsible adults do! Responsible parents ensure their children do not overeat. They also make sure that they get more exercise which I am sure will help reduce childhood obesity more than putting yet another pointless law on the Statute Book.

Although Dr Wollaston is acting with the noblest of intentions, it is not her responsibility, as either an MP or a GP, to dictate by law the portion sizes of food and drink we buy. She can express her opinions and offer advice, but not dictate. Every time I put on some extra pounds, I make sure I do something about it. I make sure I eat and drink more healthily, and I take more exercise. The state does not have a duty to intervene, as Dr Wollaston thinks – it is the duty of all of us to take personal responsibility for our own health, and to take responsibility for the health of our children.