Government involvement in obesity

...and EU moves on labelling

A new series of studies has suggested that politicians could do more to tackle the spread of obesity. Governments could initiate this by encouraging better eating habits through supporting financial incentives to enable production of healthier foods, such as subsidised fruit and vegetable production and levies on calorie-rich foods. Local authorities are also being called upon to promote the creation of healthy neighbourhoods that allow residents access to good local parks and shops, encouraging people to be more active.

There are many steps being made, however, at national and regional level. Most recently, on 15 June, new proposals to regulate food labelling in the EU went before the European Parliament. Advocates of clearer labels also point to rising obesity, saying consumers need help to make the right choices. However, an EU-wide ‘traffic light’ labelling system (where the nutritional content of food is labelled green, amber and red) was rejected by the  Parliament in favour of a GDA labelling system – in particular, it was felt that the labelling could stigmatise some foods like cheese, which would be red for fat but green for calcium and protein. Dr Mike Rayner, chair of the Children’s Food Campaign, greatly regrets this move: ‘With over half of Europeans and more than 60% of people in the UK now overweight, this outcome is a massive blow for consumers. Traffic light labels have been found to help parents make healthier food choices for their children, so their rejection is yet another set back in the fight against childhood obesity.’

Sources: BBC News, 15 June 2010, Medical News Today, 16 June 2010, Mad.co.uk- Delivering Business Insight, 17 June 2010.

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