Funeral directors in the United Kingdom have warned that coffins are increasingly becoming ‘too large to be cremated’.
They have also noted that they are using bigger furnaces for cremations, along with ordering wider caskets and hiring extra pall-bearers.
These are the latest signs of a growing obesity epidemic in the UK, which is also notable in Ireland.
In Scotland, one funeral director detailed how his industry has been adapting to increased obesity over the years.
Tim Purves, president of the National Association of Funeral Directors, said: ‘We always look after people in a dignified manner and would never cut corners because someone’s on the larger side.
‘But we are noticing that as a general population people are getting bigger, which adds complications for our role.’
He also runs William Purves, Scotland’s largest independent funeral directors, and noticed the gradual change over the years.
Purves continued: ‘When I started 25 years ago, the standard width of a coffin was 18 inches. But now we use a 20-inch coffin as standard.
‘Occasionally, we require a 24-inch coffin, but there are occasions when we need an even wider coffin than that.
‘We have had occasions where the deceased is too large to be cremated, occasions where the family have not been able to have their loved one cremated.
‘Due to the size, they’ve had to have a burial.’
Scotland’s Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors also noted that there had been a rise in the ‘handling issues in respect of very large and heavy coffins’.
The October report cited one awkward occasion where a coffin resting on a catafalque, the mechanised platform at the front of a crematorium, could not be lowered.
The service ended and while the coffin was supposed to disappear slowly out of sight, it couldn’t as it was too large.
Meanwhile, Ireland has one of the highest levels of obesity in Europe. One in five children and young people is living with overweight and obesity, along with 60% of adults.
Certain groups of people have a higher risk of excess weight gain, leading to obesity, than others.
These include older people, women in pregnancy and post-natal, individuals with eating disorders, mental illness, intellectual and physical disabilities.
Socially excluded and disadvantaged groups are also typically more susceptible to weight gain.