STUDENTS protested in Bournemouth town centre to support Jamie Oliver's campaign to tell Prime Minister Boris Johnson he must reconsider his U-turn on child health.

The nutrition students gathered outside Bournemouth Town Hall on Friday, May 20 and demonstrated how passionate they feel about what has been dubbed #EtonMess by chef, Jamie Oliver.

Boris Johnson and the health secretary, Sajid Javid, have U-turned on the central policies in their own obesity strategy. They have delayed the ban on junk food advertising and multi-buy supermarket deals. 

Jamie Oliver had accused Boris Johnson of using cost of living crisis as an 'excuse' for not tackling obesity.

Adriana Manova, who organised the Bournemouth protest, said: "An economic crisis is upon us and to offer buy one get one free may feel supportive to families but actually in the longer term it creates a greater health problem."

Bournemouth Echo:

Claire King said: "We have just seen what Covid has done to the NHS and now obesity is going to be the next pandemic"

A report published last week by NHS Digital, found obesity prevalence among four and five-year-olds in reception classes rose from 9.9 per cent in 2019-20 to 14.4 per cent in 2020-21.

Adriana said: "We want to prevent this from happening and we need to be there working with the government. They have to listen to us because the evidence is there.

Bournemouth Echo: Rachel Davies, Clare King, Adriana Manova, Elaine LuckRachel Davies, Clare King, Adriana Manova, Elaine Luck

"People don't seem to be interested in the preventative side they just want to know how to be treated and the NHS is not going to be able to treat everyone. People are going to die, that is the reality."

Rachel Davies said: "We are living in an obesigenic environment and portion sizes are getting bigger."

Clare said: “The government is delaying vital interventions in a strategy to tackle obesity that has already been delayed too long.”