6.9.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 342/119 Wednesday 16 February 2022
informed, healthy and sustainable choices about food products by means of the adoption of a mandatory and harmonised EU front-of-pack nutritional label that is developed based on robust and independent scientific evidence; welcomes the focus on healthy nutrition in the EU Child Guarantee (46) and calls for a new EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity; supports fiscal measures to make fresh foods (such as fruits and vegetables, pulses, legumes and wholegrains) more affordable and accessible at national level, especially for people on low incomes; encourages Member States to use pricing policies, such as value added tax differentiation, and marketing controls to influence demand for, access to, and the affordability of food and drink low in saturated fats, trans-fats, salt and sugar; supports Member States in revising the relevant provisions to restrict the advertising of sweetened beverages and processed food products high in fats, salt and sugar, including advertising on social media, and calls on the Commission to come forward with a proposal for a comprehensive EU-wide regulation to prohibit such advertising to minors;
20.
Acknowledges that obesity is considered as a risk factor for many types of cancer, such as colorectal, kidney or breast cancers, among others; calls on the Member States to actively fight against obesity by making available healthy dietary choices and the practice of sports, not only by educating and encouraging citizens to make the right choices, but also by including integral programmes in primary healthcare that help patients suffering from obesity to lose weight in a healthy way; calls on the Commission and Member States to support research and innovation related to obesity aiming to describe the influence of genetic factors, the human microbiota or psychological status, among others, on body weight, and to explore the most effective interventions;
21.
Welcomes the Commission’s intention to tackle the presence of carcinogenic contaminants in food; recalls to the Commission Parliament’s resolution of 8 October 2020 (47) calling for setting strict legal limits for the presence of acrylamide in food to adequately protect consumers, especially the most vulnerable such as infants and children; urges the Commission to swiftly come forward with regulatory proposals;
22.
Calls on the Commission to heed Parliament’s various calls in its resolution of 16 January 2019 to improve the Union’s authorisation procedure for pesticides;
23.
Calls on Member States, regional and local governments, civil society representatives and employers to promote and facilitate the practice of physical activities and sports throughout life, as they are known to limit both the incidence and the recurrence of cancer, as well as to reduce mental health problems and to favour social inclusion; highlights the importance of making the practice of physical activity and sports accessible and inclusive from a young age, in particular for vulnerable groups, by financing public infrastructures, equipment and programmes; calls on the Member States to facilitate access to physical activity for hospitalised patients if clinically recommended;
24.
Welcomes the launch of the EU’s ‘HealthLifestyle4all’ campaign involving the promotion of sports, physical activity and healthy diets, in addition to other key sectors; recommends that schools include health education in their curricula to ensure that minors and adolescents learn how to lead a healthy lifestyle and are made aware of the ECAC, and calls for health education to be an integral part of social assistance educational policies;
25.
Points out that radiation from the sun contains invisible ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can lead to skin cancer; calls therefore on the Commission to revise Directive 2006/25/EC on the exposure of workers to risks from physical agents (artificial optical radiation) (48) and to include solar radiation in its scope; supports the strengthening of protection against exposure to UV radiation at EU level, especially through occupational health and safety legislation for outdoor workers; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to explore measures on exposure to UV radiation, including from artificial
(46) (47) (48)
Commission proposal of 24 March 2021 for a Council recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee (COM(2021)0137).
OJ C 395, 29.9.2021, p. 32.
OJ L 114, 27.4.2006, p. 38.