White Paper on a Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues
Date: 2007-05-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: consumer information, health policy, nutritional disease, public awareness campaign, public health

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 30.5.2007 
COM(2007) 279 final 

WHITE PAPER ON 

A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues  

{SEC(2007) 706} 
{SEC(2007) 707} 

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WHITE PAPER ON 

A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The  purpose  of  this  White  Paper  is  to  set  out  an  integrated  EU  approach  to  contribute  to 
reducing ill health due to poor nutrition, overweight and obesity. The Paper builds on recent 
initiatives  undertaken  by  the  Commission  in  particular  the  EU  Platform  for  Action  on  Diet, 
Physical  Activity  and  Health1  and  the  Green  Paper  "Promoting  healthy  diets  and  physical 
activity:  a  European  dimension  for  the  prevention  of  overweight,  obesity  and  chronic 
diseases"2.  

The last three decades have seen the levels of overweight and obesity3 in the EU population 
rise dramatically, particularly among children, where the estimated prevalence of overweight 
was  30%  in  2006.  This  is  indicative  of  a  worsening  trend  of  poor  diets  and  low  physical 
activity levels across the EU population which can be expected to increase future levels of a 
number of chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, 
stroke,  certain  cancers,  musculo-skeletal  disorders  and  even  a  range  of  mental  health 
conditions. In the long term, this will result in a negative impact on life expectancy in the EU, 
and a reduced quality of life for many.  

There have been repeated calls from the Council4 for the Commission to develop actions in 
the  field  of  nutrition  and  physical  activity,  including  Council  Conclusions  on  obesity, 
promoting heart health and diabetes.  

The Green Paper consultation found a very broad consensus for the view that the Community 
should contribute by working with a range of different stakeholders at national, regional and 
local levels5. Respondents highlighted the need for consistency and coherence in Community 
policies and the importance of a multi-sector approach. They emphasised the value of the EU 
to coordinate actions, such as the collection and dissemination of good practice, as well as the 
need for the EU to develop an action plan and a strong message to stakeholders. The Green 
Paper  was  followed  by  a  European  Parliament  resolution  "Promoting  healthy  diets  and 
physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic 
diseases" which reinforced these messages. 

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http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/platform_en.htm 
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/green_paper/consultation_en.htm 
The problem of overweight and obesity can be simply expressed as excessive food energy intake plus 
low or insufficient energy expenditure equals energy surplus, stored in the form of body fat. 
Council Conclusions of 2 December 2002 on Obesity (OJ C 11, 17.1.2003, p. 3), of 2 December 2003 
on  Healthy  Lifestyles  (OJ  C  22,  27.1.2004,  p.  1);  of  2  June  2004  on  Promoting  Heart  Health  (Press 
release:  9507/04  (Presse  163);  of  6  June  2005  on  Obesity,  Nutrition  and  Physical  Activity  (Press 
release:  8980/05  (Presse  117);  of  5  June  2006  on  Promotion  of  Healthy  Lifestyles  and  Prevention  of 
Type II diabetes (OJ C 147, 23.6.2006, p. 1). 
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/green_paper/nutrition_gp_rep_en.pdf 

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Any  public  action,  including  those  possibly  undertaken  at  Community  level,  in  this  field 
should take into account three factors. Firstly, the individual is ultimately responsible for his 
lifestyle, and that of his children, while recognising the importance and the influence of the 
environment  on  his  behaviour.  Secondly,  only  a  well-informed  consumer  is  able  to  make 
rational  decisions.  Finally,  an  optimal  response  in  this  field  will  be  achieved  by  promoting 
both  the  complementarity  and  integration  of  the  different  relevant  policy  areas  (horizontal 
approach), and of the different levels of action (vertical approach).  

In several areas the main levels for action are national or local. EU public action in these areas 
will aim either at complementing and optimizing actions undertaken at other decision levels 
be  they  national  or  regional  or  at  addressing  issues  which  per  se  pertain  to  Community 
policies. Indeed, several actions relate directly to the functioning of the internal market (such 
as  labelling  requirements,  health  claims  authorisations  and  food  controls  procedures)  while 
others are part of more specific frameworks such as the Common Agricultural Policy (though 
the CMO for fruit and vegetables), Commission initiatives in the field of education, regional 
policy  (structural  funds)  and  last  but  not  least  audiovisual  and  media  policy.  The 
Commission's role is also critical in pooling interesting local or national initiatives and setting 
up pan European mechanisms of exchange of best practices.  

Moreover, due to the increasing global nature of most of the industrial sectors intervening in 
the  food  and  nutrition  areas,  and  in  order  to  prevent  the  rise  of  additional  administrative 
burden  stemming  from  different  and  maybe  divergent  national  rules  as  well  as  to  boost 
competitiveness in a new innovative and research based area, one set of co-ordinated actions 
at the EU level is considered, by the concerned economic operators, preferable to numerous, 
individual actions at Member State level. 

2. 

PRINCIPLES FOR ACTION 

Tackling this important public health issue entails the integration of policies across the board; 
from  food  and  consumer,  to  sport,  education  and  transport.  Obesity  has  higher  prevalence 
among people in lower socio-economic groups indicating the need to pay particular attention 
to the social dimension of the issue. There are four fundamental aspects to the actions outlined 
in this document.  

These actions have to be conducted at all levels of decision-making, from local to Community 
levels.  As  regards  Community  action,  they  shall  be  proposed  either  through  the 
implementation  of  all  relevant  Community  policies  and  activities  or  shall  complement 
national policies when deemed appropriate, as foreseen in Article 152 of the EC Treaty.  

Firstly, actions should aim to address the root causes of the health related risks. In this way, 
the actions set out in the strategy should contribute to reducing all risks associated with poor 
diet  and  limited  physical  activity  including,  but  not  limited  to,  that  associated  with  excess 
weight. 

Secondly, the actions described are intended to work across government policy areas and at 
different levels of government using a range of instruments including legislation, networking, 
public-private approaches, and to engage the private sector and civil society.  

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Thirdly,  for  the  sake  of  efficiency,  the  strategy  will  require  action  from  a  wide  range  of 
private  actors,  such  as  the  food  industry  and  civil  society,  and  actors  at  local  level,  such  as 
schools and community organisations.  

Finally,  and  perhaps  most  importantly,  monitoring  will  be  essential  over  the  coming  years. 
The  number  of  activities  aimed  at  improving  diet  and  physical  activity  is  already  extensive 
and is growing year by year. There is often little or no monitoring taking place, resulting in 
limited  assessment  of  what  is  working  well,  or  whether  actions  need  to  be  refined  or 
fundamentally changed.  

3. 

A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH 

The  Commission  considers  that  the  development  of  effective  partnerships  must  be  the 
cornerstone  of  Europe’s  response  to  tackling  nutrition,  overweight  and  obesity  and  their 
related health problems.  

Developing partnerships for action at European level 

The EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health started to operate in March 
2005 to "provide a common forum for all interested actors at European level"6. 

The  forum  aims  to  put  in  place  voluntary  actions  to  combat  obesity  as  a  complement  and 
support  to  other  approaches.  Members  include  organisations  representing  industry,  research 
organisations and civil society in the public health and consumer fields. Within their areas of 
work, Members have committed themselves to taking steps that can reduce obesity. In March 
2007, the Platform published its latest monitoring report on its achievements to date7.  

The  Commission  intends  to  pursue  and  develop  the  Platform  activities  as  a  key  tool  in 
implementing  this  strategy.  In  the  space  of  two  years  Members  have  launched  over  200 
initiatives on diet and physical activity in the EU. In addition, there is progress towards the 
agreed  goal  of  a  clear  and  reliable  system  of  monitoring  the  commitments  and  an  agreed 
approach  to  develop  the  local  roots  for  the  actions  (participation  of  national,  regional  and 
community authorities). 

Strengthening local networks for action 

Concrete  results  will  only  be  achieved  in  full  partnership  and  with  the  contribution  of  local 
stakeholders. As part of this, and to develop a shared approach, and commonality of purpose, 
it will be important to develop a framework for action, and appropriate fora that can link the 
actors  at  all  levels.  The  EU  Platform  is  one  model  that  could  be  emulated  as  appropriate  at 
local level.  

As  a  general  principle,  the  Commission  believes  that  such  fora  should  be  characterised  by 
broad  stakeholder  involvement  and  with  a  co-ordination  role  by  government  to  ensure  that 

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Platform Charter, March 2005 
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/docs/platform_charter.pdf 

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/docs/eu_platform_2mon-

framework_en.pdf 

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actions fall within a public health framework. The Commission has set out its further thinking 
on this topic in a background paper, "Generalising the idea of partnership"8. 

Member  States  should  encourage  the  involvement  of  the  media  sector  in  order  to  develop 
common messages and campaigns.  

The  Platform  has  been  successful  in  generating  action  from  stakeholders  across  a  range  of 
sectors; therefore, in order to improve liaison with governments, and an effective exchange of 
practice, the Commission will set up a High Level Group focused on nutrition and physical 
activity  related  health  issues..  The  objective  of  the  Group  would  be  to  ensure  that  the 
exchange of policy ideas and practices between Member States takes place, with an overview 
of  all  government  policies.  Liaison  with  the  EU  Platform  will  enable  fast  communication 
between  sectors,  encouraging  rapid  exchange  and  uptake  of  public-private  partnership 
approaches. The existing Network on Nutrition and Physical Activity would evolve its role to 
support and facilitate the work of the Group. 

4. 

POLICY COHERENCE AT COMMUNITY LEVEL  

This White Paper focuses on actions that can be taken at EU level to improve nutrition and 
health  related  issues.  Consequently,  it  focuses  on  actions  that  are  either  within  the 
Community's  competence  to  undertake,  such  as  legislation  or  the  funding  of  relevant 
programmes,  or  for  which  there  is  added  value  from  a  European  dimension,  such  as  in  the 
facilitation  of  a  dialogue  with  global  food  industry  stakeholders,  or  in  the  development  of 
comparative indicators for monitoring in all Member States. 

Better informed consumers  

An  individual's  knowledge,  preferences  and  behaviours,  for  example  related  to  lifestyle  and 
eating  habits,  are  shaped  by  the  environment  around  them.  This  concerns,  on  the  one  hand, 
access to clear, consistent and evidence-based information when deciding which foods to buy 
and,  on  the  other,  the  wider  information  environment  which  is  in  turn  shaped  by  cultural 
factors, such as advertising and other media. 

The Commission is working to develop both these areas. Nutrition labelling is one way that 
information  can  be  passed  on  to  consumers  and  used  to  support  healthy  decision-making  in 
relation  to  the  purchasing  of  food  and  drink.  The  Commission  is  currently  carrying  out  a 
review of nutrition labelling legislation with a view to proposing to Parliament and Council 
that this is strengthened as a channel for information to consumers. Following a consultation 
on labelling in spring 20069, the Commission is reviewing the options for nutrition labelling. 
Issues  being  considered  include  whether  mandatory  labelling  should  be  introduced  and  the 
number of nutrients that should be included on the label, and the regulation of front of pack 
labelling (i.e. simplified labelling or signposting). 

Another  aspect  is  regulation  around  the  claims  that  producers  make  about  their  products. 
Regulation  (EC)  No  1924/2006,  on  nutrition  and  health  claims  made  on  foods,  entered  into 
force in January 2007. A key objective is to ensure that nutrition and health claims on foods 

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http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/docs/contacts2007_en.pdf 
Labelling:  competitiveness,  consumer  information  and  better  regulation  for  the  EU.  A  DG  SANCO 
Consultative Document. February 2006. 

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are  based  on  reliable  scientific  evidence,  so  that  consumers  are  not  misled  by  inaccurate  or 
confusing claims. 

Advertising  and  marketing  are  powerful  sectors  that  aim  to  influence  consumer  behaviour. 
There  is  evidence  that  advertising  and  marketing  of  foods  influence  diet,  and  in  particular 
those  of  children.  Between  October  2005  and  March  2006  the  Commission  conducted  an 
Advertising Round Table to explore self regulatory approaches and the way that law and self-
regulation  can  interact  and  complement  each  other.  As  a  result,  a  best  practice  model  (or 
standards  of  governance)  for  self-regulation  was  set  out  in  the  Round  Table  report10.  These 
standards should apply to the specific area of the advertising of food to children. In doing so, 
voluntary  efforts  should  complement  the  existing  and  different  approaches  being  taken  in 
Member States, such as Spain's PAOS code and the recent Office of Communication initiative 
in  the  UK.  In  such  a  context  the  request  of  the  European  Parliament,  regarding  the 
introduction  of  a  code  of  conduct  for  advertising  of  food  high  in  fat  or  sugars  aimed  at 
children during the debate on a modification of the "Audiovisual Media Services" (AVMS)11 
Directive,  has  to  be  underlined.  The  new  AVMS  Directive  foresees  that  media  service 
providers  should  be  encouraged  by  the  Member  States,  and  by  the  Commission,  to  develop 
codes  of  conduct  regarding  commercial  communication  on  food  and  beverages  targeted  at 
children.  The  Commission’s  preference,  at  this  stage,  is  to  keep  the  existing  voluntary 
approach at EU level due to the fact that it can potentially act quickly and effectively to tackle 
rising  overweight  and  obesity  rates.  The  Commission  will  assess  this  approach  and  the 
various measures taken by industry, in 2010 and determine whether other approaches are also 
required. 

In  cooperation  with  the  Member  States  and  relevant  stakeholders,  the  Commission  will 
develop and support scientific information and education campaigns to raise awareness of the 
health  problems  related  to  poor  nutrition,  overweight  and  obesity.  These  campaigns  will,  in 
particular, be addressed to vulnerable groups, such as children. 

Making the healthy option available 

Healthy  choice  is  about  ensuring  the  existence  of  healthy  options  for  the  consumer.  The 
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plays an important role in food production and supply in 
Europe. As a result, by ensuring the availability of the foods that Europeans eat, it can also 
play  a  role  to  help  shape  the  European  diet  and  to  fight  against  obesity  and  overweight. 
Within the CAP, the Commission is committed to promoting public health goals, and the most 
recent example of this is the reform of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for fruit and 
vegetables which is aimed at promoting consumption within specific settings, such as schools. 

For instance, as part of the reform of the CMO for fruit and vegetables, the Commission will 
promote  children's  consumption  of  fruit  and  vegetables  in  its  proposals  to  allow  surplus 
production  to  be  distributed  to  educational  institutions,  and  children's  holiday  centres.  The 
Commission also proposes to increase EU co-financing to 60% for promotion projects aimed 
at young consumers (children below 18 years of age). Producer organisations shall focus on 
young  consumers  in  on-going  EU-funded  promotional  campaigns.  In  the  same  context 
another  important  aspect  which  should  be  considered  is  how  to  ensure  a  good  or  greater 
affordability of fruits and vegetables to encourage their consumption especially among young 

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http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/overview/report_advertising_en.htm 
Previously referred to as the "Television Without Frontiers" Directive. 

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people. A school fruit scheme co-financed by the European Union would be a big step in the 
right direction. Such a scheme should be targeted at children between 4 and 12 years old and 
will be part of the reform of the CMO for fruit and vegetables. 

There  is  growing  interest  in  the  composition  of  manufactured  foods  and  the  role  that 
reformulation can play to make diets healthier. Industry has already taken important steps but 
these  have  not  always  been  uniform  across  products  and  Member  States.  Some  Member 
States  are  encouraging  reformulation  of  foods,  for  example  in  terms  of  their  levels  of  fat, 
saturated and trans fats, salt and sugar. According to a CIAA12 survey in 2006 carried out in 
the EU, one in three companies stated that they reformulated at least 50% of their products in 
2005  and  2006.  This  reformulation  has  taken  place  for  a  wide  variety  of  foods,  including 
breakfast  cereals,  beverages,  biscuits,  confectionary,  dairy  products,  sauces,  soups, 
condiments, oils, snacks, and sugary foods. 

The  Commission  proposes  to  initiate  a  study  in  2008  to  explore  the  potential  for  the 
reformulation of foods to reduce the levels of these nutrients given the role they play in the 
development of chronic disease. This will include an assessment of the actions taken to date 
through both regulatory and voluntary measures, so as to provide a baseline to assess future 
progress. 

The  Commission  intends  to  facilitate,  in  a  partnership  context,  the  roll  out  of  salt 
reformulation  campaigns  based  on  the  clear  evidence  of  their  effectiveness,  as  well  as 
campaigns  aimed  at  improving  the  nutrient  content  of  manufactured  foods  in  the  EU  more 
generally. 

Encouraging physical activity 

Physical activity embraces a range of activities from organised sports to "active commuting"13 
or outdoor activities. The Commission believes that the Member States and the EU must take 
pro-active  steps  to  reverse  the  decline  in  physical  activity  levels  in  recent  decades  brought 
about by numerous factors.  

The  individual's  attempt  to  find  ways  to  increase  physical  activity  in  daily  life  should  be 
supported by the development of a physical and social environment that is conducive to such 
activity.  

The European Commission also supports sustainable urban transport actions through cohesion 
policy,  CIVITAS  and  the  Intelligent-Energy  Europe  programme,  which  is  entering  a  new 
phase  in  2007.  Walking  and  cycling  projects  are  considered  to  be  a  key  part  of  this  and 
applications  from  local  authorities  are  encouraged.  The  Commission  is  keen  to  ensure  that 
existing grants for public infrastructure is fully exploited for healthy lifestyle purposes, such 
as  active  commuting,  and  during  2007  will  publish  an  "urban  guide"  to  local  authorities  to 
raise awareness of these funding opportunities in all sectors.  

The European Commission will publish a Green Paper on urban transport in 2007, which will 
be followed by an Action Plan in 2008. The Commission also intends to publish guidance on 
sustainable urban transport plans. 

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Confederation of Food and Drink Industries. 
Travelling to and from work by walking, cycling or in any other active way. 

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The  Commission  will  also  come  forward  with  a  White  Paper  on  Sport  aimed  at  putting 
forward  proposals  to  boost  participation  rates  for  sport  in  the  EU  and  to  extend  the  sport 
movement to include physical activity more generally. 

Priority groups and settings 

Evidence  indicates  that  obesity  is  rising  dramatically  among  European  children,  and  that  it 
disproportionately  affects  those  in  low  socio-economic  groups.  Two  of  the  targets  of  EU 
cohesion policy 2007-2013 are to promote the contribution of cities to growth and jobs and to 
maintain  a  healthy  workforce14.  For  programmes  with  a  focus  on  urban  areas,  measures 
targeting  the  regeneration  of  public  spaces  may  encompass  infrastructure  in  socio-
economically  disadvantaged  areas,  and  therefore  provide  attractive  places  for  physical 
activity. At the same time, programme priorities for a healthy workforce should help to 'close 
the  gap'  in  terms  of  health  infrastructure  and  health  risks.  Actions  to  encourage  physical 
activity can play a vital role in such programme priorities.  

Childhood is an important period to instil a preference for healthy behaviours, and to learn the 
life skills necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle15. Schools clearly play a crucial role in this 
respect.  This  is  also  an  area  where  there  is  already  firm  evidence  of  the  effectiveness  of 
intervention: studies show that locally focussed actions, with very wide ownership, targeting 
0-12 year olds will be effective in changing behaviour in the long run. Work should focus on 
nutrition  education,  and  on  physical  activity.  Health  education  and  physical  education  are 
among  priority  themes  in  the  new  Lifelong  Learning  Programme  (2007-2013),  and  more 
specifically  in  its  Comenius  sub-programme  for  school  education.  There  will  be  scope  to 
pursue  both  nutrition  and  physical  activity  projects  with  an  emphasis  on  sport  and 
strengthening  co-operation  between  schools,  teacher  training  bodies,  local  and  national 
authorities and sports clubs.  

In 2007 the Commission will finance a study looking at the relationship between obesity and 
socio-economic  status  with  a  view  to  considering  the  most  effective  interventions  to  tackle 
those in low socio-economic groups. 

Developing the evidence base to support policy making  

The  Commission  intends  to  build  on  the  strong  foundations  laid  by  previous  research 
frameworks  in  the  field  of  nutrition,  obesity  and  the  key  diseases  caused  by  unhealthy 
lifestyles such as cancer, diabetes and respiratory disease. The Commission has identified the 
need  to  know  more  about  the  determinants  of  food  choices,  and  will  establish,  under  the 
Seventh  Framework  Programme,  major  strands  of  research  into  consumer  behaviour;  the 
health  impact  of  food  and  nutrition;  drivers  for  preventing  obesity  in  target  groups  such  as 
infants,  children  and  adolescents,  and  into  effective  diet  interventions.  The  programme  will 

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Cohesion  policy  in  support  of  growth  and  jobs,  Community  strategic  guidelines  2007-2013,  Council 
Decision of 6 October 2006. 
EPODE  and  "Tiger  Kids"  are  two  innovative  examples  of  community  projects  to  promote  healthy 
behaviours  among  children.  For  example,  EPODE  brings  together  parents,  teachers,  health 
professionals and the local business community in towns across France. Actions include events such as 
special "food weeks" during which children are familiarised with healthy eating, and the organisation 
and supervision by parents of a "walking bus" to school. 
Tiger Kids is aimed at both pre-school and school aged children in four regions of Germany, and seeks 
to  establish  a  quality  standard  for  obesity  prevention.  It  involves  parents  to  promote  nutrition  and 
activity for children both within and outside school. 

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also  address  health  determinants,  disease  prevention  and  health  promotion  as  part  of  the 
theme "Optimising the delivery of healthcare to European citizens". 

Since  2006  the  European  Food  Safety  Authority  (EFSA)  has  a  new  role  advising  the 
Commission on the implementation of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation. The new 
mandate includes providing advice on nutrient profiles for foods bearing health claims and the 
evaluation  of  the  scientific  substantiation  of  such  claims.  Another  example  of  EFSA's 
contribution  in  the  nutrition  related  area  is  the  updating  of  European  population  reference 
intakes for energy and nutrients. 

Developing monitoring systems  

There  is  little  harmonisation  of  the  way  that  national  data  on  obesity  and  overweight 
indicators  is  collected  making  comparison  across  the  EU  difficult.  Furthermore,  there  is 
limited data in important areas such as food consumption.  

The Commission has identified the need to strengthen monitoring on three key levels. Firstly, 
at  the  macro  level  to  ensure  consistent,  comparable  data  on  overall  progress  indicators  – 
within the context of the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) – related to diet and 
physical activity such as the prevalence of obesity. Secondly, to systematically identify what 
actions are underway in the Member States so that these can be monitored and evaluated for 
impact. And thirdly, in relation to individual projects and programmes given their role as the 
building blocks for an effective societal response.  

To  support  macro  level  monitoring,  the  European  Commission  has  developed  a  European 
Health Interview Survey (EHIS) which will become operational in 2007 and will put in place 
a  harmonised  approach  to  the  regular  collection  through  the  European  Statistical  System 
(ESS) of statistical data on self-reported height and weigh, performance of physical activity 
and  frequency  of  consumption  of  fruits  and  vegetables.  By  2010,  the  Commission  plans  to 
establish a European Health Examination Survey (EHES) to obtain objective information on a 
range  of  nutrition  measures  including  BMI,  cholesterol  and  hypertension  in  a  randomly 
selected  population.  EUROSTAT  is  also  in  the  process  of  building  a  first  set  of  food 
consumption  indicators  in  order  to  monitor  nutrition  patterns  and  trends.  The  emphasis  of 
these  activities  within  the  ESS  is  on  developing  quality  data  and  indicators  on  health  status 
(including obesity) as well as on lifestyles (including on nutrition and physical activity). 

Key  aims  will  be  to  determine  the  range  of  policies  and  actions  in  place  within  Member 
States, as well as to strengthen monitoring  and evaluation of their impact. The Commission 
will continue to support the monitoring function through its projects under the Public Health 
Programme, which support networking actions and sharing of information in the area of good 
practice in nutrition and physical activity, and obesity prevention.  

5. 

MEMBER STATE LEVEL 

The  Commission  has  set  out  a  comprehensive  range  of  actions  within  its  competence  to  be 
taken  forward  across  policy  sectors.  As  already  mentioned,  however,  several  actions  on  the 
part  of  Member  States  must  be  the  primary  focus  and  are  essential  to  address  nutrition, 
overweight  and  obesity  related  issues.  The  comprehensive  range  of  Commission  actions 
within  its  competence,  to  be  taken  forward  across  policy  sectors,  serves  the  purpose  of 
backing up or completing the actions by Member States. The variance in diet across Member 

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States,  and  the  difference  in  policy  approaches,  is  important.  Moreover  it  is  essential  that 
actions  continue  to  be  developed  at  regional  and  local  levels  as  these  are  closer  to  the  EU 
citizens.  Interventions  at  these  levels  are  vital  to  tailor  designed  and  validated  general 
approaches to specific local contexts. These actions also need to be monitored, evaluated and 
discussed. The Commission will collate and, together with the High Level Group, will assess 
these national and regional actions and make this information accessible from its web-site16. 
The Commission intends to use the High Level Group already mentioned in order to promote 
the dissemination of best practice as well as to provide any support which could be considered 
as appropriate at Community level. 

Member States have also an active role to play in the development of partnerships for local 
actions  that  can  support  voluntary  initiatives  such  as  the  development  of  responsible 
advertising. 

6. 

WHAT PRIVATE ACTORS CAN DO  

Private actors have a major role to play in developing the healthy choice for consumers, and 
in  empowering  them  to  make  healthy  lifestyle  decisions:  their  actions  in  this  area  can 
complement  government  policy  and  legislative  initiatives  at  European  and  national  level. 
Where  private  actors  work  across  different  Member  States,  as  in  the  case  of  large  industry 
players,  a  further  broad  area  for  action  is  to  develop  a  common  consistent  approach  to 
consumers across the EU. 

Making the healthy option available and affordable: The food industry (from producers to 
retailers) could make demonstrable improvements in areas such as the reformulation of foods 
in terms of salt, fats, particularly saturated and trans fats, and sugars for consumers across the 
EU and to consider ways to promote consumer acceptance of reformulated products. There is 
also evidence that good practices of retailers in Member States, promoting healthy products 
such as fruits and vegetables at cheap prices on a regular basis, have led to a positive impact 
on diets. 

Keeping consumers informed: Retailers and food companies could fully contribute to current 
voluntary national initiatives.  

16 

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/publichealth_en.htm 

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The Commission is working to promote better rules for advertising and marketing, meeting at 
least  European  Advertising  Standards  Alliance  (EASA)  benchmarks,  across  all  Member 
States. In this respect, there is new provision in the AVMS Directive, foreseeing that Member 
States shall encourage co- and self regulatory regimes at national level that meet stakeholders' 
acceptance.  

The  Commission  would  welcome  further  initiatives  by  leading  companies  to  achieve  this 
objective. 

Successful  self  regulation  relies  on  having  systems  in  place  to  monitor  the  development  of 
and adherence to agreed codes. Currently, the capacity to do this varies across the EU. There 
is  therefore  a  need  within  Member  States  to  strengthen  systems  for  self  regulation  and  to 
target them towards the Commission’s best practice model. The Platform has a role to play as 
a  forum  for  high  level  monitoring  of  the  approach  at  national  and  sub-national  level,  from 
food producers to retailers and the commercial communication sector. 

Encouraging physical activity: (1) Sports organisations could work with public health groups 
to develop advertising and marketing campaigns across Europe that promote physical activity 
particularly among target populations, such as young people, or those in low socio-economic 
groups. The forthcoming White Paper on Sport will set out a role for such networks. (2) Local 
and  regional  actors  should  pro-actively  engage  with  local  governments  to  consider  public 
health  objectives  in  their  designs  for  buildings,  for  urban  spaces  such  as  play  areas  for 
children, and for transport systems. 

Priority Groups and Settings: Schools bear a great responsibility in ensuring that children not 
only understand the importance of good nutrition and exercise but can actually benefit from 
both.  They  can  be  assisted  in  this  through  appropriate  partnerships  with  private  parties, 
including  the  business  community.  Schools  should  be  protected  environments  and  such 
partnerships should be undertaken in a transparent and non-commercial way.  

Businesses can also support the development of healthy lifestyles in the workplace. Together 
with  employee  organisations,  they  should  also  develop  proposals/guidelines  for  ways  in 
which companies of different sizes can introduce simple, cost-effective measures to promote 
healthy lifestyles of employees. 

European and national clinical professional bodies should develop proposals to strengthen the 
training  of  health  professionals  with  regard  to  nutrition  and  physical  activity  related  risk 
factors for ill health (such as overweight and obesity, blood pressure, physical activity), with 
particular emphasis on a preventive approach and the role played by lifestyle factors.  

Developing a picture of good and best practice: Civil society organisations, particularly those 
working in the fields of public health, youth and sports, could develop evidence of the impact 
of policies and actions at all levels.  

7. 

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION  

The Commission will collaborate with the WHO to develop a nutrition and physical activity 
surveillance system for the EU-27 as one of the follow-up actions of the European Charter on 
Counteracting Obesity adopted in Istanbul last year on 16 November 2006. In 2007, the WHO 
intends  to  adopt  a  second  Food  and  Nutrition  Action  Plan  for  Europe.  The  European 

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Commission welcomes this updated public health framework in which to place future actions, 
and is committed to strong participation in this process. 

As  regards  bilateral  cooperation,  the  Commission  will  continue  to  work  closely  with 
Countries  having  developed  their  own  strategy  in  order  to  take  benefit  from  each  other 
experiences as it is already doing with the USA since May 2006. 

8. 

CONCLUSIONS AND MONITORING  

The  prevalence  of  obesity  will  be  one  of  the  key  indicators  for  the  measurement  of  any 
progress  brought  about  by  this  strategy  in  the  EU.  In  agreeing  to  the  WHO  Charter,  EU 
Member  States  stated  that  "visible  progress,  especially  relating  to  children  and  adolescents, 
should  be  achievable  in  most  countries  in  the  next  4-5  years  and  it  should  be  possible  to 
reverse the trend by 2015 at the latest". 

The  Commission  will  carry  out  a  review  of  progress  in  2010  to  review  obesity  status,  to 
observe the extent to which its own policies have been brought in line with the objectives of 
this Paper and the extent to which actors across the EU are contributing to the achievement of 
the  objectives.  Where  a  sector  has  introduced  proposals  or  guidelines  for  intervention,  the 
review  in  2010  will  allow  concrete  progress  to  be  visible.  In  the  particular  case  of  industry 
self-regulatory  measures,  the  review  will  have  to  indicate  how  well  these  are  being 
implemented, and what effect they are having. 

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