Obesity is one of the big issues of the day. Over the last 25 years, in the UK alone, the number of people classed as being extremely overweight has more than trebled. Doctors say that the debilitating condition, the cause of so much ill health, is reaching “epidemic” proportions. Only a few days ago, Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, told public health officials at a conference that obesity “is the new smoking”.

The reasons are many as to why many people end up being obese, but the black and white of it is the disparity between calories consumed and calories burned. Poor attitudes to diet, busy lifestyles, mental health issues and so on, all contribute to the condition. Although there is no single cause of obesity, many experts agree that somewhere along the line, humans have become disconnected from food: knowledge is lacking and our relationship with it is poor.

One of the key strategies in preventing people becoming obese is to nip it in the bud from an early age. Responsibility then falls on parents and schools to develop an understanding in children and young people of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle and how important it is to wellbeing and success, in a personal and professional context. Although food is taught in schools, it has never been exclusive, taught as it is through design and technology, science and PSHE.

However, this is changing. Long overdue, many will claim, but welcome nevertheless, a new GCSE in cooking and nutrition will be taught from September 2016 – alongside a revamped GCSE in design and technology – which will provide students with a ‘hands-on experience and a real understanding of food nutrition’. The Department for Education said that the new subject would provide students with detailed information about the ‘scientific principles’ behind food and nutrition, and develop key, practical cooking techniques.

“At the heart of any food qualification should be a focus on developing practical cookery skills and a strong understanding of nutrition,” said minister for school reform Nick Gibb. “That’s why we’ve created the cooking and nutrition GCSE so that rather than designing food packaging, students will now learn the essentials of food science, nutrition and how to cook healthily. This qualification will give young people the preparation they need to succeed in the food and hospitality industries as well as giving them vital life skills."

The subject, which has received input from experts, incorporates key features from the three main current food-related GCSEs – design and technology, food technology and home economics – with completely new areas of study. As a whole, the GCSE in cooking and nutrition will provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of nutrition, food choice and where food comes from. It will also work to transform that knowledge into practice, through the teaching of practical cooking skills.

Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon Restaurants and the School Food Plan – a manifesto of sorts that details what needs to happen to boost the quality of a child’s diet at school and how they learn about food – lauded the development of the new qualification, describing it as a “another big step forward” for food education. He said: “I particularly like the new emphasis on understanding and enjoying British and international cuisines and encouraging students to develop their own recipes. It is a serious qualification that will be another step towards creating a healthier and happier society.”

Things do need to change. As Mr Stevens noted in his recent speech, the consequences of poor health, as a direct result of obesity, are extremely troubling. He said it represented “a slow-motion car crash in terms of avoidable illness and rising healthcare costs”. There are negative social and economic outcomes too, he explained, all of which paint a very disturbing picture of the future.