News [9/13/2006 ]         On 11 September, the European Commission presented the results of a public consultation on promoting healthy diets and physical activity, with a focus on the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases. The consultation was launched with the publication of a Green Paper on 8 December 2005 which put forward a number of different policy options for the consideration of stakeholders across Europe. Given the complexity of the issue, most contributors call for a multi-sector approach, involving action and coherence across EU policies. Many contributors also call for special attention to be paid to children. EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “The European Commission’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Network, as well as the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health will be key forums to discuss these issues further with government, industry and civil society ... The Commission will now further consider which policy options to adopt, and fine-tune its action with the right balance between voluntary agreements and legislative action.” Highlights from the Commission overview of responses; A multi-sector approach: Most respondents agreed that the EU should foster: a multi-sectoral approach (which involves other EU policies such as agriculture, education, and urban planning); more consistency and coherence among policies for better coordination of actions at EU level; the exchange of best practices across Member States; and for guidelines for nutrition and physical activity to be based on scientific evidence. Information for consumers: Respondents believe that consumer information, including labelling, should be clear, based on evidence, and broadly disseminated. Industry respondents favour self-regulation, whereas consumer organisations and NGOs are sceptical about the impact of self-regulation on advertising of foods high in calories but poor in nutrients. Healthy choices: Respondents suggest encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption; limiting total fat and/or saturated fat intake; promoting a balanced diet; reducing consumption of sugar and soft drinks; and reducing portion sizes. Diet at school: Best practice suggestions for improving the nutritional value of school meals are: education programmes for healthy diet for children, offering free or subsidized fruit, vegetables and drinking water; training of kitchen staff and general guidelines and/or standards for school meals including regular control enforcement. Data and impact assessment: Health impact assessment (HIA) and cost-benefit analyses of policies could be of help to increase awareness among decision makers. Respondents proposed that the EU Public Health Action Programme support further integration and dissemination of data, knowledge on effective strategies and strengthen links between sectors. Dissemination could be carried out through networks such as the European Network for the Promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity and the European Commission’s Nutrition and Physical Activity network. Other measures: Other proposals endorsed by respondents include training health professionals about the health impact of nutrition and physical activity on health, promoting physical activity with financial incentives, sport-friendly pricing policies and improvement of quality and accessibility of sport facilities. Many contributors have also expressed the need for general, neutral, simple and flexible food-based dietary guidelines at a European level that can be adapted to different cultures, regions and countries. Source: Advertising Education Forum ______ WFA is a founder member and active participant in the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Both through its participation in the EU Platform, and through its Responsible Advertising and Children Programme (www.responsible-advertising.org), the WFA plays a lead role in ensuring that marketing communications remain responsible and that codes of conduct respond to societal concerns. Below you can download WFA's official response to the EU Commission's Green Paper, "Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: Towards a European strategy for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases", submitted in March 2006. For more information on this please contact w.gilroy@wfanet.org Documents: WFAEUGPsubmission100306.pdf  (.pdf file, size 483.225 kb)