The nation's health has never been more at risk

If you ever wondered what they do at Defra to while away the hours while appearing to be occupied on something useful then I have at least a partial answer for you

- writes Adam Sherlock.

It comes In the form of a new “National Food Survey” detailing our current eating habits and comparing them with what we were scoffing 85 years ago.

Carrying on the fine traditions of mass observation, it is supposed to provide us with a snapshot of how the nation feeds itself at the moment, though in essence is one of those documents half-full of information you were already aware of, half-full of stuff you didn’t realise you needed to Know and, frankly, don’t care about.

By way of grabbing our attention the document breathlessly informs us there have been “huge changes” in the variety of what we eat over the last 85 years. No sugar, Sherlock. Eighty-five years ago was - let me remind you - 1940 when people were getting by on a weekly allocation of three ounces of bacon, half a dried egg, five Woodbines and a cup of weak tea - and frequent references to the Book of Common Prayer.

Sure, there have been changes. I can’t recall the last time I went round to someone’s house to be offered Woolton pie or a dish of mock goose. As for potato peel soup and the national loaf well, they are but tear-stained memories.