Vivienne Westwood advises those who can’t afford organic food to 'eat less'

Iconic designer warned processed foods will only make people fat

Dame Vivienne Westwood has once again caused a stir after suggesting poorer people should "eat less" so they can afford to buy organic food.

The outspoken designer made her remarks as she delivered a petition to Downing Street outlining concerns about genetically modified (GM) food in the UK.

Speaking outside of Number 10 on Wednesday, Ms Westwood advised the public to follow what she described as Russell Brand’s ‘rule of thumb’ when it comes to food: “If the Government said it’s good, then you know it’s not”.

But when BBC Radio 5 Live's Dino Sofos pointed out that not everyone can afford to eat organic, non GM food, Westwood simply responded with: “Eat less”.

Her comment prompted Mr Sofos to advise that thousands in the UK are already going to food banks and can barely afford to buy enough food to feed themselves, meaning “eat less isn’t really an option”.

But Westwood refused to back down. "You’ve got all these processed foods, which is the main reason people are getting fat,” she continued. “They’re not actually good for you - they don’t give you strength, they give you weight.

"I eat vegetables and fruit. I don’t eat meat. I believe meat is bad for me - I don’t eat it. It’s also bad for the animals. But if there was a movement to produce more organic food and less of the horrible food, then organic food would obviously be a good value price, wouldn’t it?”

In December, Westwood courted controversy once again by suggesting clothes “should cost a lot more than they do” and food should be priced higher.

In June, she expressed a similar view when she told The Independent: “There are signs in my shops that say ‘buy less, choose well, make it last. I agree, fashion is a terrible thing, it’s all about tempting to buy. But they should buy less.”

Westwood said in a statement: "My comments were related to eating less meat. People are eating far too much factory farmed meat and junk food which is bad for you and not providing the nutrients you need.

"You can source good food and farmed meat for less money – Tracy Worcester's http://pigpledge.org/ will show you how," she added.