At the core of the EU Platform for Action is the first set of 92 new commitments aimed at fighting obesity which have been put forward by its members.
These actions, which kick off in 2006, cover a very broad range of projects in the fields of diet, physical activity and lifestyles: from education campaigns to extra information on food labels and bans on advertising to children. The projects will be monitored and overall progress will be evaluated by the beginning of 2007. Here are just a few examples of the kind of commitments that have been made within the Platform.
Advertising to children
The Union of European Beverages Associations (UNESDA) has committed to a voluntary ban on adverts targeting children: nine major soft drink companies including Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes have agreed to the ban, which will apply to ads on printed media, websites and television shows aimed at children under the age of twelve.
Nutritional information
Members of the European Modern Restaurant Association (EMRA) including Quick and McDonald’s have pledged to provide information to consumers about the Guidance Daily Amount (GDA) provided in their meals: the percentage of their maximum daily allowance of protein, fat, sugar, salt and calories. The initiative will be in place by the end of 2006 and will feature on leaflets, wrappers and tray mats in various fast-food chains.
Education
The Food Dude Healthy Eating Programme, which is managed by the Irish Food Board, is an educational project which aims to improve children’s long-term consumption of fruit and vegetables. Children are given free fruit and vegetables at school for 16 days, along with peer modelling videos and rewards based on the "Food Dude" characters. A previous trial of the programme showed a sustained, significant improvement in consumption levels over a year after the intervention, especially among children in deprived areas with poor diets. In its new phase, the programme is being implemented in 150 primary schools across Ireland and will have reached approximately 31 000 children over the 3-year period 2005-2008.
Food composition
Members of the European Snacks Association have committed to developing healthier products – measurably increasing the number of available snacks reduced in calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar over the year 2006. In addition, the industry has committed to providing a wider choice of different packaging sizes in 2006 so as to improve portion control.
Physical activity
"Fit am Ball – Der Schul-Cup von funny-frisch" ("Fit on the ball – the funny-frisch Schools Cup") is a football-centred project aiming to prevent excess weight in schoolchildren. It was developed by the German Sports University Cologne and is sponsored by Intersnack. The programme is being rolled out in 1 000 schools across Germany in 2006, involving 35 000 children aged 8-12 years. A big football final for girls and boys is to be organised shortly before the Football World Cup in Germany in June 2006. In October 2006, the event’s organisers will invite all the schools that have participated in the initiative to a conference evaluating the programme’s strengths and weaknesses. Lessons from the evaluation will be used to define the programme strategy for the next phase (2007-2008).
Food labels
The European Consumers Association (BEUC) is leading informal discussions with representatives of food manufacturers, retailers and caterers about the different food labelling systems which exist across Europe. BEUC’s aim is to win wider support among stakeholders and influence decision-makers towards agreeing on a harmonised labelling system, in order to reduce confusion and make consumers’ choices easier.
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