EU FOOD AGENCIES AGREE ON ACTION PLAN TO IMPROVE DIETARY HEALTH
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European food safety agencies have agreed for the first time a common action plan to improve dietary health across member states.Increasing incidence of obesity, especially in children, high salt levels in food, and low levels of folic acid in women's diets are issues of concern throughout Europe.
The agencies have discussed how increased sale of processed foods and food eaten outside the home has led to an increase in salt in the diet, generally significantly higher than recommended levels. They have also agreed that obesity is a major threat to public health across member states and that strong action is needed to reverse the increasing trend.
In a new commitment to work together to address these and other issues, the agencies agreed a statement to:
- Work more closely on the issue of obesity, using a range of approaches including changing consumption patterns and promoting physical exercise, and calling on the food industry to recognise their responsibilities and work with them to reach a solution;
- Look for ways to influence changing consumption patterns and nutritional content of high energy food, and explore ways of approaching the problem of obesity in particular groups, especially children;
-Reduce the amount of salt in the diet by raising consumer awareness and enlisting the co-operation of the food industry to reduce the salt content in their products;
-Promote the harmonisation of European rules for salt labelling, especially for a simple way to identify high salt products; and
- Increase awareness among consumers, especially women, of the benefits of increased folic acid in the diet.
Click here to view the full nutrition statement.
Republished with permission from The Food Standards Agency, Tuesday, 10 February 2004
