Child obesity epidemic growing in Britain

LONDON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The British government has acknowledged a severe obesity epidemic, with almost half of all British children predicted to be dangerously overweight by 2050.

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families Ed Balls said the rate of obesity among children was rising at a very alarming rate, Britain’s The Observer reported.

Balls said just 12 years ago, less than 10 percent of all schoolchildren were considered obese, but that number has jumped to almost 17 percent.

The government has put new restrictions on the content of school lunches. But many experts say restrictions are useless unless parents become more involved in the fight against childhood obesity, the newspaper reported.