Fighting obesity and overweight, all talk in Europe. The European Commission’s White Paper for a European Strategy on Nutrition, Overweight, Obesity and Related Health Issues (1) is now 10 years old. And it is a unique case of the failure of European policies, which were in fact planned only at the theoretical level.
The European Platform for Action (an understatement) on Diet, Physical Activity and Health has in turn proven to be wholly inadequate to address the problem.
The problem-evident perhaps only to our eyes, as well as to the World Health Organization-is the endemic incidence in Europe of obesity, overweight and related diseases. Diseases such as cardiovascular disease, still the primary cause of premature mortality. And type 2 diabetes, which undermines the health of the population starting at the youngest age. With dramatic consequences on quality of life, social and public health costs. (2)
Measures to stem the crisis are well known, and must be implemented on the various fronts of:
1) Ban on junk foodmarketing (nutritionally imbalanced foods and beverages). Rigorously, especially in advertising aimed at minors, and social marketing of so-called junk food. That is, to its promotion on the Internet, video-sharing channels and social networks,
2)
purpose taxation
(i.e., whose proceeds are earmarked for public investments to mitigate the problem, e.g., nutrition education, promotion of physical activity and sports exercise). On sugary drinks and junk-food in general,
3) Public nutrition education programs, in schools including elementary school as well as in primary care physicians’ offices. As well as through traffic light labels, and so-called progress advertising. Which is supposed to replace junk food advertising, on social networks and video-sharing channels especially.
Big Food has succeeded in distracting stakeholders from theEU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. At thelast meeting, in March 2017, to counter any idea of limits on marketing to kids or taxation, it declared its adherence to the idea of applying traffic light labels on its products.
The Council of Member States, most recently, issued its Conclusions‘to help halt the rise in childhood overweight and obesity.‘ Once again in Europe only talk, serving the big lobbies.
Wide-ranging talks touching on social inequalities and breastfeeding, traffic light labels and social marketing. But concretely, nothing. Only invitations and recommendations to member states and the Commission. And confirmations of trust toward Big Food‘s voluntary initiatives. Which thus continues undisturbed the assault on cyber space, to better imprint the false need for junk-food in the consciences of our minors.
Let’s root for revolt!
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Cf. http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/documents/nutrition_wp_en.pdf
(2) According to the latest data, diseases caused by unbalanced diets affect up to 30 percent of public health costs in EU member states on average
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
