Brussels, 15/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - 15 March, which is celebrated in the EU as European Sustainable Consumption day, saw the announcement in Brussels of the European platform for action entitled “Food, Physical Activity and Health” mobilising the main players around the objective of fighting obesity. The increase of the phenomenon, especially among young people and children, is so worrying that is has convinced members of the platform- European Commission, European representatives of the agro-food industry, those involved in advertising, distribution and catering, consumer organisations and NGOs- to act together and to make more financial resources available to promote healthy diets and lifestyles to try to reverse the trend of this worsening public health problem. The approach decided upon is a voluntary one, aiming to promote best practice and codes of conduct. In 2005, members of the platform will make an inventory of actions already taken to promote healthier eating and to encourage citizens to take more exercise, then will design action plans to be presented in 2006 together with an investment plan. The European platform will support national and local initiatives and serve as a forum of expertise to study actions carried out to see whether the commitments taken have been fulfilled. At the end of 2006, the Commission will carry out its own analysis of the results obtained.
During the press conference for the launch of the platform, Markos Kyprianou, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, stressed the extent of the problem, which he described as an epidemic. “The latest figures from the International Obesity Task Force show that the scale of the problem of obesity in Europe may have been underestimated. The number of overweight or obese adults could be as high as 200 million and the number of obese schoolchildren is growing by 400,000 a year”, he said. He pointed out that obesity is a risk factor in many serious diseases such as heart disease, blood pressure, respiratory problems, arthritis and various types of cancer. “The EU's action platform (…) is Europe's contribution to the fight against the problem. Business, civil society and the public authorities must work together to stop obesity spreading among our children. The platform will be used as a catalyst for national actions. It will look at voluntary measures in the fields of information and education for consumers, marketing and advertising, promotion of physical activity, food ingredients and portion size. I hope to see the first initiatives adopted in 2006. I expect to see a real change in behaviour”, he said. The Commissioner said that he was greatly encouraged by the constructive attitude of the industry. The voluntary approach is his preference, but if it does not work, Mr Kyprianou has not ruled out the option of looking into legislation banning advertising targeting children, he told the press.
Speaking on behalf of the Presidency of the Council, Mars di Bartolomeo, Luxembourg minister for health, congratulated the Commission on the innovative nature of this initiative, which will be debated by the Consumer Council in June. “We are starting a health policy which is not merely reactive, but resolutely proactive. The days when obesity was a problem only on the other side of the Atlantic are gone”, he said. The breadth of fields the platform represents bodes extremely well to “move from threats to action, partnership, awareness and a change in attitude”, but, as he pointed out, regulation will be needed to accompany the process, especially on food additives and nutritional and health claims for food. Karl Heinz Florenz, the German Christian Democrat who chairs the parliament's committee on the environment, public health and food safety, said that the platform is “a good instrument, a vehicle to create the right framework”. But if political decision-makers do not want to miss the boat, this fight is everybody's business, including that of parents and schools. Community legislation is there for the labelling of the contents of foodstuffs, to allow the consumer to make informed choices, he said.
Before the summer, the European Commission is to publish a Green Paper on public health, food and physical exercise, which will also be the framework for this European platform. The following will be members of the platform: the CIAA (Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU) Eurocommerce, Euro Coop (European Community of Consumer Cooperatives), BEUC (the European Consumers' Organisation), European Heart Network, EMRA (European Modern Restaurant Association), EVA (European Vending Association), IOTF (International Obesity Task Force), SCED (Standing Committee of European Doctors) and the World Federation of Advertisers. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and the World Health Organisation will both have observer status.