According to the Food Standards Agency, 88% of British men and 83% of British women are eating too much saturated fat. The Sat Fat Debate – Sat Fat Nation: Is Britain Eating Itself to Death, was a public debate on this health issue held in September 2008. The debate was organised by Unilever in conjunction with YouGovStone. By looking at all sides of the picture - who is responsible, do we need better education, should food companies take more responsibility or is it up to the individual? – the debate set out to answer some of these questions around the issue of saturated fat. The debate was streamed live and viewers were able to put their questions to the panel. The event was hosted by John Humphrys who was the impartial chair for the debate.
Chair
John Humphrys
As presenter of Mastermind, and with fifty years' of broadcasting experience, John Humphrys is one of Britain's best known broadcasters. He has won numerous awards, including the coveted Sony Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement. The citation read: "He has truly changed the face of radio and the nature of the radio interview for an entire generation." He also writes books, newspaper columns and has set up his own charity.
The Panel
Dame Deirdre Hutton CBE
became Chair of the Food Standards Agency in July 2005. She has served on numerous public bodies and was, until June this year, Vice-Chair of the European Food Safety Authority Management Board. She was recently appointed Honorary Vice-President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology and Honorary Vice-President of the Trading Standards Institute.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, FRCGP
Sarah is a GP and a medical writer and broadcaster, being the current doctor for BBC Radio 2 as well as The One Show on BBC1 and various magazines. She has a particular interest in cardiology, and chairs the Healthcare Committee of H•E•A•R•T UK (the cholesterol charity).
Dr John Briffa
John specialises in nutritional and integrated medicine. He's in private practice and a journalist and writer, contributing to over 100 magazines and newspapers in the UK and abroad and writing six books on nutrition and natural health. He also lectures widely and is a regular on TV and radio.
Dr Michael Fitzpatrick
Michael has been a GP in East London for more than twenty years. Author of three books, he also writes on medical and political subjects that include AIDS, addictions and health scares, for medical journals and the media. His book Defeating Autism: A Damaging Delusion is out later this year.
Professor Simon Capewell
Simon has worked in general, respiratory and cardiovascular medicine and was the University of Liverpool's Chair of Clinical Epidemiology. He manages a research programme involving coronary heart disease (CHD), including an examination of the recent halving of CHD deaths in the UK and elsewhere.
Esther Rantzen CBE
Esther started with BBC Radio as a sound effects assistant. She moved into TV as a researcher/ reporter, then in 1973 became producer/presenter of That's Life, followed by many other pioneering shows. She invented ChildLine, becoming its President after its merger with the NSPCC in 2006.
