A wide range of leisure and hospitality organisations have signed up to a new deal designed to help tackle some of the UK's most pressing public health issues.

The British Hospitality Association, SkillsActive, Business in Sport and Leisure and the British Beer and Pub Association are among the signatories of the Responsibility Deal. Five groups have been working on food; alcohol; physical activity; behavioural change; and health at work since last September to draw up a number of "pledges for action".

Among some of the key collective pledges announced by health secretary Andrew Lansley is the introduction of calorie counters on menus and increasing physical activity at work. Clear unit labelling on more than 80 per cent of alcohol by 2013; a reduction in the amount of salt in food; and improved workplace health are also among the collective measures.

Lansley said: "Public health is everyone's responsibility and there is a role for all of us, working in partnership, to tackle these challenges. "While I'm pleased that more than 170 organisations have already signed up as partners, we want more organisations to sign up."

Other signatories to the Responsibility Deal include the Youth Sport Trust, the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation, Sport and Recreation Alliance, the Fitness Industry Association and the Amateur Swimming Association. However, some alcohol charities have withdrawn. According to Alcohol Concern chief executive Don Shenker, the Responsibility Deal fails to go far enough in addressing issues relating to the misuse of drink.

Shenker said: "If the government are going to mistakenly rely on self-regulation to reduce problem drinking, they must clearly state what they intend to do if it fails." Image: Department of Health