'Do something about it' | UK firms should measure workers' waists to tackle obesity, campaigner says

UK workers should have their waistlines measured at work, with financial penalties for firms who have too many overweight employees, a campaigner has said.

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum suggested the measures as a way to help tackle obesity and its impact on workplaces, taking inspiration from a Japanese law.

Fry’s comments came after a new study from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna found that overweight people were 22% more likely to take off at least seven sick days a year, compared to colleagues with a ‘healthy’ body weight.

The study included figures from 26 countries, but the UK reportedly did not provide data for the study.