Latest news with #StephenBurgess
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Ultra-processed foods are killing 1,000s of middle-aged Brits, study finds
Thousands of people die prematurely as a result of ultra-processed foods, a new research has revealed. The new study has shown a link between the consumption of these foods and the increased risk of a premature death. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) such as ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, and fizzy drinks, have already been linked to various health issues such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, and early death. The study looked into diets in Britain, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and the United States. It then estimated the number of people who died and the links to over-reliance on foods such as processed meat, fizzy drinks and ready meals, The Independent reports. Processed foods often have high levels of saturated fat, salt, sugar and additives as well as containing preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial colours and flavours not typically found in home cooking. But researchers say it's not clear why these are linked to poor health. They questioned whether this is because people are opting for foods high in fat, sugar and salt as opposed to more nutritious options Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the study includes experts calling on governments to issue dietary recommendations to slash how much these foods are consumed. They looked at data from eight countries around the world and found UPFs reached 53 per cent of people's energy intake in the UK – the second highest in the study after 55 per cent in the US. Premature deaths attributable to UPFs ranged from 4 per cent of premature deaths in lower consumption settings, such as Colombia, up to 14 per cent of premature deaths in the UK and US, according to their mathematical modelling. Study leader Eduardo Nilson, of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said UPFs were harmful 'because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants (and) artificial flavours'. The study suggests that in 2018/19, some 17,781 deaths could be linked to these foods in the UK. Stephen Burgess, statistician in the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, warned the study could not prove cause. He said this type of research could not link that consumption of ultra-processed food is harmful however it does show that it could lead to poor health. He added: 'It is possible that the true causal risk factor is not ultra-processed foods, but a related risk factor such as better physical fitness – and ultra-processed foods is simply an innocent bystander.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Yoga mats and VR headsets used to measure inflation
Some may use yoga mats and virtual reality headsets to mentally escape the daily grind but now statisticians are using them to chart the rising cost of living. Both items have made their way into the basket of goods and services used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to calculate inflation. The basket contains 752 items. The ONS collects the costs of these products and services across many different retailers to come up with the monthly inflation figures. That figure, currently showing prices rising at 3% a year, is a crucial economic measure which influences the cost of borrowing - interest rates - as well as rises in benefits and pensions or to form part of pay negotiations. The contents of this huge basket of goods and services is reviewed every year to ensure it gives an accurate cross-section and weighting of our spending data. But what is added or removed each time also gives us a fascinating insight into our changing tastes, trends and lifestyles. For example, wild rabbit was one item included in the first list of 1947. Tea bags only made it in by 1980. This time around, 23 items have been added and 15 removed from the basket. Stephen Burgess, from the ONS, said: "Our inflation basket of goods shows how consumer spending has evolved over the years. "The addition of virtual reality headsets for the first time shows our appetite for emerging technology. Yoga mats also limber up as a new addition due to their increased popularity since the pandemic." The ONS said spending on VR headsets was expected to rise from about £347m last year to £520m by 2029. Meanwhile, exercise mats were not only used for yoga, but also for other types of home workouts. Men's sliders, or pool sandals, have also been added. Pulled pork has also substituted an oven-ready gammon joint. Mango is an addition to the selection of fruit, and cushions are in to bolster the underrepresented area of soft lounge furnishings. On the other side of the ledger, a reflection of the falling circulation and prominence of newspapers means adverts in the local rag have been removed. The ONS said anecdotal evidence suggests many of these pitches were now found on online platforms instead. Last year, vinyl records returned following a 30-year absence. Air fryers were also added, but hand sanitiser - a must-have of the Covid years - was taken out. Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at the investment platform AJ Bell, said while changing fashions may be amusing, it was important to remember why this basket matters. "It gives us a crucial economic indicator of what's happening with prices, a data set that helps Bank of England rate setters determine their next steps and a measure used to work out how much benefits, pensions and train tickets should go up by," she said. Why are prices rising in the UK? Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
18-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Netflix given greater weighting in inflation basket after prices surge
Netflix subscriptions have been given a greater weighting in the basket of goods used to calculate the UK's inflation rate, as households spend more money on streaming services and less on DVD rentals. The Office for National Statistics has also added yoga mats to the list of products monitored each month as the market 'has grown considerably since the pandemic, when people started to exercise at home and have continued in organised exercise classes', officials said. Men's 'sliders' – a form of sandal similar to flip-flops – have been added to the inflation basket, as have virtual reality (VR) headsets as people spend more time entertaining themselves at home. Stephen Burgess, deputy director for prices at the ONS, said: 'Men's slider sandals step into the basket as a rapidly growing part of the male footwear market, while yoga mats also limber up as a new addition because of their increased popularity since the pandemic.' The decisions, which are based on changing spending patterns by households, will feed fears that the abandonment of the office has led workers to be lazier and more antisocial. About 13pc of workers are exclusively home-based, according to an ONS survey from October. Another 28pc work part of the week at home. The ONS found that remote workers sleep more and work less than those who commute. Many bosses have been trying to bring staff back to the office amid concerns about the impact of home working on productivity and creativity. Lord Rose, the business veteran and former Asda chairman, has said working from home was 'not doing what I call proper work'. Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, accused air traffic control engineers of being 'at home watching morning television instead of being where they are supposed to be' when a system glitch grounded hundreds of flights in 2023. The ONS itself is currently in dispute with its staff over demands to come back to the office. Hundreds of staff have voted to strike over demands to come in at least two days a week. Elsewhere, convenience foods are being added to the inflation basket as Britons put less effort into making traditional meals such as Sunday roasts. The ONS has decided to stop checking the price of oven-ready gammon or pork joints, 'replaced by pre-cooked pulled pork as consumer preferences are reported to have moved to pre-cooked products which can be incorporated into a meal in less time'. Ready-to-use noodles have been added to the basket to further reflect the trend for convenient cuisine, with smoked salmon and mangoes both included in the inflation calculations to account for more exotic tastes. 'Desire for convenience' Mr Burgess said: 'The desire for convenience amidst our busy lifestyles also plays a part in this year's basket changes. Consumers are choosing easier options in the kitchen, so oven ready gammon joints make way for the quicker choice of pulled pork.' Fixed-price energy tariffs are in as more households seek to protect themselves against shock moves in gas and electricity bills instead of relying on the energy price cap, which changes each quarter. Meanwhile, newspaper advertisements are out of the basket as more people choose to use social media instead, while fewer people are also buying in-store cafe meals – driven by both increased visits to casual dining restaurants and the closure of more high street stores, many of which hosted cafeterias for customers. The ONS monitors prices for more than 752 specific items every month to build up a picture of inflation facing households. It changes some of the goods and services in this 'shopping basket' each year to reflect changing spending habits. Annual consumer price inflation was 3pc in January, above the Bank of England's 2pc target though firmly below the peak of 11.1pc reached in October 2022 at the height of the cost of living crisis.
Reuters
18-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
UK statisticians add VR headsets to inflation basket, cut newspaper ads
March 18 (Reuters) - Virtual reality headsets will enter Britain's inflation data next month while classified newspaper print adverts will disappear in an annual shake-up of the basket of goods and services used to calculate price rises. The renewal of the inflation basket offers a snapshot of technological shifts and Britons' changing tastes. "The addition of virtual reality headsets for the first time shows our appetite for emerging technology, while the loss of printed newspaper adverts demonstrates a continuing shift towards the online world," Stephen Burgess, Office for National Statistics' deputy director for prices, said. "Consumers are choosing easier options in the kitchen, so oven-ready gammon joints make way for the quicker choice of pulled pork," Burgess added. The ONS also added a new category for household energy bill prices: fixed-rate tariffs, which are popular among consumers who want to avoid fluctuating electricity and gas bills. Britain's first modern inflation basket appeared in 1947 including unskinned wild rabbits, condensed milk and lamp oil. In the 1970s - a decade many would prefer to forget in fashion terms - statisticians put home perm kits and hair dryers into the index. This year the ONS added smoked salmon, mangos and men's pool sandals - "a rapidly growing and previously unrepresented area of the footwear market" - to the consumer price index basket.
Zawya
18-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
UK statisticians add VR headsets to inflation basket, cut newspaper ads
Virtual reality headsets will enter Britain's inflation data next month while classified newspaper print adverts will disappear in an annual shake-up of the basket of goods and services used to calculate price rises. The renewal of the inflation basket offers a snapshot of technological shifts and Britons' changing tastes. "The addition of virtual reality headsets for the first time shows our appetite for emerging technology, while the loss of printed newspaper adverts demonstrates a continuing shift towards the online world," Stephen Burgess, Office for National Statistics' deputy director for prices, said. "Consumers are choosing easier options in the kitchen, so oven-ready gammon joints make way for the quicker choice of pulled pork," Burgess added. The ONS also added a new category for household energy bill prices: fixed-rate tariffs, which are popular among consumers who want to avoid fluctuating electricity and gas bills. Britain's first modern inflation basket appeared in 1947 including unskinned wild rabbits, condensed milk and lamp oil. In the 1970s - a decade many would prefer to forget in fashion terms - statisticians put home perm kits and hair dryers into the index. This year the ONS added smoked salmon, mangos and men's pool sandals - "a rapidly growing and previously unrepresented area of the footwear market" - to the consumer price index basket. (Reporting by Andy Bruce Editing by William Schomberg)
