It’s scandalous that as a society we are failing to give our children the best possible start in life. By comparison with other leading nations, our children are growing up unhealthy, unhappy and lacking sufficient investment in their health and wellbeing.

More than one in five children in their first year of primary school are overweight or obese. This rises to one in three by the time they start secondary school. About 13 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls aged 11-15 have mental health problems including anxiety and depression, eating disorders and hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders.

Breastfeeding rates in the UK are among the lowest in the world. Just 44 per cent of mothers in England were recorded as breastfeeding