Question for written answer E-005600/12 to the Commission
David Casa (PPE)
(4 June 2012)
Subject: Obesity
According to recent statistics from Eurostat, the number of EU citizens who are overweight or obese has increasedat an alarming rate over the past decade. As a result, over 50 % of the EU population is currently overweight or obese.
In its White Paper on a Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues (COM(2007) 0279), the Commission sets out an integrated approach towards addressing nutrition and weightrelated health problems.
In view of the increasing relevance of these issues, is the Commission planning to introduce any further measures aimed at reducing obesity rates in the EU?
Answer given by Mr Dalli on behalf of the Commission
(17 August 2012)
The European Commission is aware of the obesity and overweight levels in the European Union.
The Commission monitors the implementation of the ‘Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesityrelated Health Issues’ (1) in close cooperation with WHO Europe. Progress by individual Member States can be examined via the European Database on Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity (NOPA) (2).
The strategy is implemented through Commission initiatives as well as cooperation among Member States in the High Level Group (3) on Nutrition and Physical Activity, and through voluntary initiatives taken by multi-sectoral stakeholders in the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (4).
Such initiatives range from promoting healthy eating and physical activity to reducing salt and other nutrients content from food, and by making
nutritional food labelling obligatory. A first Progress Report was published in December 2010 (5).
Increasing the availability of healthy options through food reformulation initiatives and scaling up and speeding up the self-regulatory initiatives in food marketing and
advertising to children are identified areas for action in the second phase of the strategy. The Commission haslaunched this year the evaluation process of the strategy which will be available during the first quarter of 2013.
⋅1∙ COM(2007)279 final, 30.5.2007.
⋅2∙ http://data.euro.who.int/nopa/
⋅3∙ http://ec.europa.eu/health/nutrition_physical_activity/high_level_group/index_en.htm
⋅4∙ http://ec.europa.eu/health/nutrition_physical_activity/platform/index_en.htm
⋅5∙ http://ec.europa.eu/health/nutrition_physical_activity/docs/implementation_report_en.pdf
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