Food, Diet and Nutrition
Groups together issues dealing with food safety, food additives, biotech, GMOs, food irradiation, organic food, the European Food Safety Agency etc.
Please find all related articles below.
On 24 and 25 April, the European Food Safety Agency organised the 7th meeting of the EFSA Stakeholder Consultative Platform in Parma which EPHA attended.
The meeting was opened by the EFSA Director, Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, who provided the stakeholders with an overview of the progress on EFSA activities. After this intervention, Ritta Maijala, explained EFSA’s task as a risk assessor.
After the two general interventions, the Stakeholders had the opportunity to hear about EFSA’s (...)
http://www.ehnheart.org/content/def...
The European Heart Network has issued the third edition of "European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2008".
http://www.ehnheart.org/content/def...
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death in the European Union killing over 2 million people per year.
"European Cardiovascular Disease Statistics 2008" includes data on: death and illness; treatment; the prevalence of behavioural risk factors for CVD ; and the prevalence of medical (...)
Updated with information about the conference on 6-7 September. A new Thematic Network called DIETS (Dietitians Improving the Education and Training Standards) was launched in October 2006 and is led by the University of Plymouth. EPHA is a member of the network.
DIETS builds on the excellent foundations which the European Federation of Associations of Dietitians (EFAD) established through their initiatives in education, such as developing the European Benchmark Statement for Dietitians. (...)
EPHA is organising a training session on nutrition and health before the end of 2007.
The aim of the session is to identify ways to build links with research institutions and identify research groupd interested in working with civil society organisations on the field of nutrition and health.
The session will be an occassion for civil society organisations to deepen their understanding of nutrition and health and to strengthen their capacities to approach scientific questions.
Structure of (...)
The European Heart Network, an EPHA member, has produced a set of actions and guidelines on addressing child obesity based on a previous report on policy options to prevent child obesity.
The guidelines outline policy priority options and includes a section on plans agreed at European level, as well as detailing the plans of 14 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, and United Kingdom.
At (...)
In July 2006 EU Member States gave way to the European Commission and voted to adopt a revised Directive on the composition and marketing of infant formulae and follow-on formulae wich relaxes the restrictions of the previous Directive.
According to European health, development and consumer organisations, the revised Directive has paved the way for the establishment of a harmful framework for marketing practices. The Directive will be published in the Official Journal in the autumn to be (...)
The National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions at the Royal College of Physicians develop an up-date of the 2004 recommendation guideline on Hypertension.
Hypertension or persistently high blood pressure is a contributing factor to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease, however it can be modified by changes in life-style and pharmaceutical interventions.
Entitled “Hypertension - Management of adults in primary care”, it ought to develop (...)
Eurohealthnet an EPHA member and the International Union for Health promotion and Education (IUHPE) have joint forces to work on health promotion at EU level.
The two organisations will be working together on health promotion across Europe.
Among the main themes that have been identified as areas of cooperation, Eurohealthnet and IUHPE will focus on:
Mental health,
Health promotion
Nutrition
Alcohol
Health inequalities
The organisations will be taking part in joint workshops at events (...)
The Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians of the UK has published a position paper on salt which sets out the implications for citizen’s health if current levels of intake persist.
The position statement also outlines what need to happen to ensure that salt levels are reduced and public health protected.
The Faculty is calling for continued concerted action across all sectors, including public, governmental and non-governmental, and, critically, industry to ensure (...)
Ahead of the vote by the Environment, Food Safety and Public health Committee of the European Parliament on a regulation on Food Additives scheduled on the 20-21 March 2006, the British Fluoridation Society calls for a strong stance to allow the addition of fluorides to foods.
According to the BFS, various amendments (23 and 24) if accepted, would prohibit the addition of fluorides to food and water.
The BFS argues that exposure to fluoride has been one of the main factors contributing to (...)
**The article has been updated with presentations and the call for action**. The European Heart Network,EPHA member and the European Society of Cardiology, under the auspices of the Austrian Presidency of the European Union, will organise the European Cardiovascular Health Conference:"Women’s Health at Heart: Promoting Cardiovascular Health and Preventing Cardiovascular Disease" on 7 March 2006 in Brussels.
The conference aims to examine how factors such as tobacco and cholesterol, (...)
The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) (an EPHA member) is one of 54 partners in the EU-funded mutli-disciplinary intergrated project, EuroPrevall - a project on the Prevalence, Cost, and Basis of Food Allergy across Europe. In this project EFA is leader of the allergy consumer stakeholder group.
EuroPrevall aims to deliver improved quality of life for food allergic people by developing common information and tools for use by European food (...)
On 8 December 2005, the Commission adopted a Green Paper entitled "Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases".
The Commission’s Green Paper on the promotion of healthy diets and physical activity is the first step in an extensive public consultation on how to reduce and to prevent the rising levels of obesity and associated chronic diseases in the European Union (EU).
In order to prepare its response to (...)
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), an EPHA member, organises a conference on "Improving diet and nutrition - from national issues to local interventions" on 5 December 2005 at the Royal Overseas League in London.
The conference will cover policy priorities ranging from choosing a better diet, the obesity challenge to NGO priorities.
It aims to develop a better understanding of key issues related to poor diet and nutrition, raise awareness, define possible actions and (...)
The International Diabetes Federation - European region (IDF Europe) has published a position paper about the new Health and Consumer Programme for the period 2007-2013.
IDF Europe welcomes this new proposal and the focus on health determinants. However, IDF Europe is concerned that regular physical activites are not listed.
They also stress the importance of a coordinated focus on children and older people health. They want those two issues to be addressed more effectively by the (...)
The average diet of children in England is quite alarmist. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, children do eat more than twice the amount of saturated fat needed; more than twice salt and sugar needed; a quarter of fruits and vegetables needed;
In order to address this issue, the Welsh Food Alliance organises on the 02 and 23 September 2005 two round table discussions on school nutrition.
The aims are to raise awareness on school nutrition issues and to improve the (...)
The European Heart Network (EHN), an EPHA member, has recently published a report titled "Fruit and Vegetable Policy in the European Union" which examines the potential effect of the EU Common Agricultural Policy fruit and vegetable regime on the burden of cardiovascular disease (CDV).
Cardiovascular risk factors are well known and mostly amenable to change. Public health policies aimed at reducing rates of cardiovascular diseases have typically emphasised the traditional risk factors such (...)
The French Parliament adopted on the 19th of January 2005, an amendment to the French law on Alcohol Advertisement (the so-called Evin Law). This amendment was initially intended to allow more room for wine advertisement.
However, in a country where alcohol kills 45,000 people and costs 17.6 thousand millions € each year, further promotion of wine consumption was considered nonsense, as claimed by public health prevention campaigns.
The amendment is the result of a consensus between wine (...)
The International Diabetes Federation - Europe, an EPHA member, relaunched the EU Diabetes Working Group in the European Parliament.
On 17 November 2004, at the same time as the November plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, IDF-E held the meeting ’A European Diabetes Strategy’ which aimed to bring together MEPs to focus on EU measures to improve prevention, care and management of diabetes in Europe in the context of a European diabetes strategy.
The meeting was chaired (...)
The Royal College of Physicians, an EPHA member, organises a conference on Nutrition and Obesity on 12th October 2004.
The conference will consider the physiological and pathological consequences of starvation, the metabolic adaptations seen with endurance training and how health professionals should be addressing the epidemic of obesity in terms of prevention and management.
The conference will include unique case studies, discussions about the importance of multi-professional teamwork to (...)
On 15 June 2004, the Public Health Alliance Ireland has launched a publication outlining health inqualities and the links to other forms of social and economic disadvantage.
Health in Ireland: An unequal Statebrings together information and evidence from a wide variety of sources. The Public Health Alliance Ireland is an independent alliance whose mission is to work together for a healthier society by improving health and challenging health inequalities
The report highlights three key (...)
A new report on obesity in the UK argues that action needs to be taken at every possible level - national, local, community and as individuals, together with an understanding of the social and cultural factors that are behind the progressive increase in overweight and obesity.
Reducing and preventing obesity - everything must change is produced jointly by the Royal College of Physicians, the Faculty of Public Health, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The UK has the (...)
EPHA, the European Heart Network, Eurocare and EuroCoop have issued a joint statement on proposed EU Regulation on health and nutrition claims for food. The statement was released on 8 January 2004 at a public hearing in the European Parliament organised to gather stakeholder views on the Regulation.
The NGOs are calling upon MEPs to take account of these key public health issues when the Regulation goes to a vote in the Plenary session of March 2004.
Health and nutrition claims only to be (...)
Nutritional health claims & the consumer credit proposal
On 2 October, Commissioner Byrne answered questions from Environment and Health Committeee regarding the above.
Most of the questions revealed deep concerns by committee members about the findings of a British survey which showed the damaging impact on bio-diversity and wildlife by GM crop trials.
Commissioner Byrne was reluctant to be drawn too deeply on the matter and said that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the (...)
"The food case", a conference supported by the Greens & the European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) was held in the European Parliament on 18th September 2003.
The aim of the conference was to explore a strategy for consumer protection, and discuss how to improve the quality of food in Europe.
There was great emphasis that quality meant more than hygiene, but rather the culture of food.
The four themes for discussion were:
The precautionary principle or liability - two strategies for (...)
The Wemos Foundation, an EPHA member, is organising a workshop on Food and Nutritional Security during the World Trade Organisation Ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico in September 2003.
The event will take place at 14.00 on 12 September.
The event is a result of joint advocacy by civil society groups and organisations involved in food, nutrition, trade and health issues.
Southern and Northern partners will address their national governments and the relevant regional organisations or (...)
The UK Public Health Association has taken part in WHO’s global consultation on a strategy for non-communicable diseases.
Non-communicable disease (NCD) is an awkward, obscure term, more usually thought of in terms of chronic disease, food-related disease or lifestyle diseases - what some have called the ’disease of inactivity’. There is little confusion about its impact though.
In the US, for example, NCDs are about to overtake smoking in terms of scale and cost. In that country in 2000 (...)
Please find attached a Press Release of the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations: "Food allergy patients need improved labelling of foodstuffs in EU", concerning Directive 2000/13/CE on Labelling of Ingredients present in foodstuffs and the current process of updating the Directive.
Please find below a presentation on ’Education/communication aspects of healthy diets and the role of NGOs’.
The presentation was given by Tamsin Rose at the European Health Forum, Gastein, 1-4 October.
It deals with healthy diets, information, education and NGOs advocacy.
Tamsin Rose also gave a presentation on EPHA’s advocacy for health in the EU Convention, which is available for EPHA members at the Members Only section of EPHA’s (...)
The report "Time for action-towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe", summarizes the recommendations of the event on "Sustainable Consumption and Production in Europe" held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in September last year. The report emphasizes the necessity to step up efforts towards sustainable consumption and production.
Nearly one hundred experts, representing governments, research institutions, non-government organizations (NGOs), business and international (...)
The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has issued a report analysing "Household consumption and the environment". It concludes that about one third of households’ total environmental impact is related to food and drink consumption.
Covering 31 European countries, the report structures its assessment of the environmental effects of household consumption into four categories: food and drink; housing; personal travel and mobility; and tourism.
Household consumption has increased and changed (...)
The European Commission has launched an on-line consultation on the revision of the 1991 Directive on Plant Protection Products.
The Directive 91/414/EEC establishes a positive list of active substances for the use in plant protection products, which have been evaluated to be safe for humans and which do not present an unacceptable risk to the environment. Only products on this list can be authorised in Member States except where transitional arrangements apply.
In 2001, the Commission (...)
The 27th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission takes place in Geneva from 28 June to 3 July 2004. The Codex is a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), aiming at setting food standards, guidelines and codes of practice.
In particular, the 27th session of the Codex Commission is urged to formally approve a Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding establishing a feed safety system for food producing (...)
The World Health Assembly, adopted a global strategy on diet, physical activity and health, which addresses two of the major risk factors responsible for the heavy and growing burden of noncommunicable disease. The strategy emphasizes the need to limit the intake of certain fats, sugars and salt, and increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, and levels of physical activity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was today endorsed by (...)
A new Atlas of Food, edited by Erik Millstone and Tim Lang, has been recently published. Through the use of maps, diagrams and simple statistics, this Atlas provides a clear presentation of the food chain and its impact on people’s lives and livelihood.
Tim Lang is Professor of Food Policy at Thames Valley University, London and the author of six books including P is for Pesticide (Ebury, 1991) and More Than We Can Chew (Pluto, 1982).
Erik Millstone is a Reader in Science Policy at the (...)
On 23 April 2008, the Health and Consumer Intergroup organised a meeting in Strasbourg to talk about the different Strategies in the fight against Obesity
The meeting was a joint action from the Health and Consumer Intergroup combined with the Fruit and Vegetables Intergroup, which have objectives that although are not always similar, are reconcilable, especially regarding public health.
The Intergroup invited three highlevel speakers to talk about their vision on the fight against obesity. (...)
The European Commission has adopted a new regulation to ensure safety of food packaging made of recycled plastics. This new action sets the conditions under which the manufacturers of food contact materials can use recycled plastics.
Regulation (EC) 282/2008 on recycled plastic materials and articles was adopted on 27/03/2008 in order to ensure the safety of food packaging made of recycled plastics. The present Regulation:
Sets the conditions under which the manufacturers of food contact (...)
The European Commission DG SANCO, in partnership with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), have launched a new TV advertising campaign to encourage physical activity, which will be broadcasted in Europe during the Champions League matches, in September 2007.
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_deter... The Commission’s campaign, which slogan is “Go on, get out of your armchair”, aims to encourage European citizens to make physical activity part of their daily lives. The (...)
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) commemorates its fifth aniversary in 2007.
The EFSA began operating in 2002. Provisionally based in Brussels its permanet home is Parma (Italy). During the last five years it has been responsible for providing scientific advice on all matters concerning food safety in the European Union. Its work covers the whole food production process, from primary production to the supply of food to consumers.
In order to increase their visibility and the (...)
On the 12 September 2006, the European Court of Justice delivered an opinion related to Labelling and presentation of foodstuffs. It concluded that responsibility on the labelling and presentation is held by all actors involved in the manufacturing and distribution processes.
The Court had to assess who is responsible for the particulars on the label of a pre-packaged foodstuff and who is therefore liable if the particulars are inaccurate.
The Italian Office of the Justice of the Peace of (...)
Austria held the rotating Presidency of the EU from 1 January to 30 June, 2006. What were the health-related priorities of the Austrian government during this period - and were they achieved?
Future Presidencies of the European Union
Food and food safety
The Austrian Presidency re-opened the current safety assessments done by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which, according to some member states, has approved GM products without proper research. However, Austria’s attempt at (...)
The European Parliament has adopted by an absolute majority (415 signatures in total) a written Declaration on Diabetes. It complements the conclusions of the informal meeting of European Health ministers under the Austrian Presidency.
European Parliament declaration
The Declaration, tabled by John Bowis together Georgs Andrejevs, Dorette Corbey and Karin Scheele, urges the Commission and Council:
to prioritise diabetes in EU health policy,
to encourage Member States to develop national (...)
**UPDATED with the report of all responses**. On 8 December 2005, the Commission adopted a Green Paper entitled "Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases".
The paper seeks to initiate a dialogue with all interested parties on how action at European level can complement, support and coordinate action at national level. The Commission also points out that the response needs to be at European, national (...)
The Directorate General which deals with Entreprise and Industry of the European Commission has launched on Monday 24 January a public consultation on the metrological requirements in pre-packaging .
This consultation aims at simplifying the rules for producers while at the same time, understanding consumer concerns about weight indications on all packed products.
The Commission wants to bring existing European laws (both at national and European levels) into two main directives that would (...)
Health ministers met on 6 December in Brussels, under the chairmanship of Hans Hoogervorst, the Dutch Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport.
The agenda included the debate on European strategy against HIV/AIDS, initial exchange of views on paediatric medicines, a review of progress on the draft Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, and the adoption of Council conclusions on zoonotic diseases.
Fight against HIV/AIDS
In line with the Commission working paper and the (...)
The Health Council met on 1-2 June 2004 in Luxemburg to revise negotiating directives for the Commission in respect of the revision of International Health Regulations (IHR) within the framework of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Council also adopted a Decision concerning the conclusion on behalf of the Community of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The Council held a debate on the need to promote heart health and adopted several conclusions (see minutes of (...)
The European Commission has started to publish a weekly alert notice on product safety issues across the EU.
On 15 January 2004 the revised General Product Safety Directive came into force. The European Commission generally receives two to four safety alerts from Member States every week through the EU-wide ’rapid alert system’, called RAPEX. The type of products most often cited in these alerts are toys followed by other products aimed at children. The concern for most of these products (...)
On 29 September, the Agriculture Council adopted the two laws proposed by the Commission in Agust 2001 and backed by Parliament in May 2002 on protective measures against "zoonoses" (diseases transmissible between animals and humans).
Zoonoses include diseases like salmonella, campylobacter, listeria and toxin producing E. coli.
The legislation will enter into force on its day of publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Commission press release.
Conclusions of the (...)
On 9th September 2003 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Italy could temporarily ban GM foods but must provide sound evidence of the dangers.
Monsanto’s GM maize can be placed on the market without Commission authorisation. However, Italy can impose a temporary ban on suspicion of risks.
Genes are inserted into the maize in question to render it resistant to certain herbicides and pests.
Although the genetically modified DNA is destroyed during the processing of the maize, (...)
The Health Ministers of the European Union Member States and Candidate Countries met on 5-6 September in Milan, to discuss health-related issues and to plan the future European public health policies.
Among the main themes discussed at the Informal Meeting of European Ministers for Health were: a strategy for the promotion of healthy lifestyles, European health policies on prevention and control of infectious diseases, patient mobility and access to treatment, environment and health and (...)
The ECJ has annuled the Commission decision to withdraw national marketing authorisations of medicinal products for human use which contain, inter alia, certain amphetamine-like anorectic agents used in anti-obesity drugs.
The Commission opinions, dated 1999, were based on the opinion by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) which had found that those substances lacked efficacy according to the new scientific criterion of long-term efficacy of anti-obesity drugs.
The (...)
Karl Erik OLSSON (ELDR, S) will be putting forward a draft legislative resolution on prohibition of substances with hormonal or thyrostatic action and beta-agonists in stock-farming.
MEPs in the committee argue that the precautionary principle should be applied to safeguard consumers’ health in view of the perceived danger posed by this substance, which may be carcinogenic.
However, they say that exceptions could be made for the treatment of non-farm animals, i.e. animals not used for (...)
EFSA has a published draft opinion on the implications of animal cloning on food safety, animal health and welfare and the environment.
This article has been updated with news concerning the European Parliament motion for resolution on the cloning of animals for food supply and with news on the delay of EFSA’s final opinion
EFSA’s public consultation on animal cloning
EFSA has held a public consultation on its draft scientific opinion on the implications of animal cloning on food safety, (...)
On 17 September 2008, EPHA attended the plenary meeting of the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
The focus of this session was physical activity and the meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the recent activities of the Commission and to hear presentations from both platform members and guest speakers. The presentations focused on ’health enhancing physical activity.’ Afterwards the floor was opened for a debate where stakeholders’ proposals and commitments to physical (...)
8 July the European Parliament adopted legislative package on four draft regulations. The new procedures are supposed to assist the free movement of food within the EU and give better health and consumer protection.
The aim of the 4 draft reports is to simplify and update EU rules for authorising food additives, flavourings and enzymes.
A common authorisation procedure
The first regulation lays down an EU-level common authorisation procedure for additives, enzymes and flavourings and is (...)
The European Commission, DG Agriculture, proposes a new School Fruit Scheme worth €90 million per year as the latest part of the ’Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity and health related issues’.
European Commission (DG Agri) invites submission of posters for forthcoming conference on School Fruit Scheme
On 8 July 2008, the European Commission presented its proposal for the introduction of an EU-wide School Fruit Scheme (SFS).
In order to kick-start the linked (...)
On 27 June the EPODE European Coordination Unit organised the first EPODE Mayors’ Club European congress in collaboration with the European Commission (DG Health and Consumers). EPODE is a methodology designed to involve all relevant local stakeholders in an integrated and concrete prevention program aimed at facilitating the adoption of healthier lifestyles in the everyday life.
EPODE Background Information
EPODE (Together Let’s Prevent Childhood Obesity) is a methodology designed (...)
On 11 June the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) held a public hearing on the issue of food labelling in relation to obesity.
On 11 June the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) held a public hearing on the issue of food labelling in relation to obesity- organized by MEPs Magor Imre Csibi and Jules Maaten.
The speakers were Basil Mathioudakis from the European Commission (EC), Kees de Winter from European Consumers’ Organization-> (BEUC), Sabine (...)
Amid growing criticism of its GMO bias and growing overall workload, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has decided to develop a database of external scientific experts to help the agency carry out risk assessments and enhance the transparency of the expert recruitment process.
The Agency could also hire non-EU experts if they are leaders in their field. The scientist database will be available to all the 27 EU countries, who may use it to select experts for their own scientific (...)
The German minister for Consumer Protection Horst Seehofer expresses support for the Traffic Light Scheme after poll results.
After the United Kingdom (UK) introduced the Traffic Light Scheme, convinced of its benefits in guiding consumers’ food choices based on available evidence, now Germany finds supporting evidence for its advantages.
A poll, conducted on behalf of the German Ministry of Consumer Protection, has showed that more that half of the respondents would be influenced, when (...)
The disturbing trend of rising obesity rates must be stopped, said the European Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee (ENVI) in a new report giving suggestions on how to approach the problem.
The ENVI Committee adopted an own-initiative report on obesity by MEP Alessandro Foglietta, unanimously.
Obesity has great costs on both quality of life and the economy. It already accounts, directly, for about 6% of health spending but the indirect costs are much higher, (...)
This article has been updated in May 2008 following the vote in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee of the food additives proposal.
In May 2008, the ENVI Committee in the European Parliament, voted in the second reading of the food additives proposal a requirement for an azo dye warning label following the publication of the Southampton Study. The Southampton Study linked six artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate to hyperactivity in (...)
On 7 May 2008, the European Commission delayed decisions on whether to allow European farmers to grow numerous types of genetically modified crops, including the Amflora potato.
This genetically modified potato produces unusually large quantities of starch and contains two controversial marker genes linked to the risk of increasing drug resistance.
On 17 February 2008 the EU Agriculture Council did not approve the application and the Commission was thus the one in charge of taking the (...)
The use of antibiotics and other anti-microbial agents throughout the food chain contributes to the growth of resistant bacteria which can be passed on to humans through food, EU’s food agency said on 17 April 2008. This must be taken into account in the debate on allowing the Amflora potato in Europe.
The use of antibiotics and other anti-microbial agents throughout the food chain contributes to the growth of resistant bacteria which can be passed on to humans through food, EU’s (...)
In addition to its priority on cancer prevention, the Slovenian Presidency convened a high level conference on nutrition and physical activity to highlight the fight against obesity.
On 11 March 2008, the Slovenian Ministry of Health, organised a conference entitled "Cross-Sectoral Policies for Nutrition and Physical Activity - Implementation and Monitoring" aimed at encouraging cross-sectoral cooperation in relation to nutrition and physical activity policies and monitoring.
Member States (...)
During the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on 17 February 2008, Professor W. Philip T. James, chair of the International Obesity Task Force, claimed for a change of the food production and consumption environments is needed to reduce obesity.
Professor W. Philip T. James, chair of the International Obesity Task Force considers obesity a systemic problem requiring changes to the food production and consumption environments, which are making (...)
On 12 February, the European Commission took a decision to require compulsory certification for imports of Chinese rice products that may contain the unauthorized GMO ‘Bt63’.
On 12 February, the European Commission took a decision to require compulsory certification for imports of Chinese rice products that may contain the unauthorized GMO ‘Bt63’. Despite measures announced by Chinese authorities in 2007, the presence of ‘Bt62’ was reported until late (...)
Parliament wants more flexibility on CAP reform
A Parliament own-initiative report on Commission proposals to reform the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) says Member States need more flexibility to promote local sectors and to decide upon direct aid to provide a safety net in the event of a major crisis.
The report, adopted by an overwhelming majority (510 votes to 88, with 80 abstentions) insists on upholding the concept of a "sustainable, competitive and multifunctional agriculture". (...)
The European Commission has launched a public Internet consultation on the EU scheme to distribute free food to people in need in the Community.
The public is invited to give a feed-back on a number of key questions in relation with the EU programme to distribute free food to the most deprived persons in the Community through a call for contributions to a large internet-consultation. The consultation runs until 14 May.
Since 1986, the European Commission made available some € 2.5 (...)
Which?, the largest consumer body in the UK, has published the Cartoon Heroes and Villains report to reveal how these characters are used to push children towards foods high in fat, sugar or salt.
The report was launched on 9 August 2007 and agrees with the results of a survey conducted by Which? on 21 August 2007, showing that 75% of parents feel that their efforts to make their children eat healthier are undermined by this kind of labelling.
http://www.which.co.uk/files/applic... Which? (...)
The European Commission DG SANCO has opened public consultation on EFSA opinion about genetically modified soybean for food and feed uses, on 10 August 2007.
The public has the opportunity to make comments on the EFSA opinion during a month from the day of the publication of the EFSA opinion (10 August 2007). The comments should be addressed to the European Commission by an on-line form.
Important information:
EFSA opinion
Form to make comments
A2704-12 Soybean
Deadline:10 September 2007 (...)
The European Commission, DG Sport, published a new White Paper on Sport on 11 July 2007, with the objective of giving strategic orientation on the role of sport in Europe.
The White Paper on Sport is focused on the societal role of sport which comprises the enhancement of public health through physical activity but also, the economic dimension and organisations in Europe, and the subsequent follow-up of the measures taken.
The White Paper is the result of extensive consultations over (...)
Updated with suggested answers to the Commission consultation from health and environment organisations.
The European Commission has announced on 19 July 2007 a public consultation on responsible nanosciences and nanotechnologies research.
The consultation will provide input for a recommendation to the Member States on a possible Code of Conduct for this emerging area of science, which the Commission will put forward at the end of 2007.
Contributions are expected from a broad cross-section (...)
Find here the supporting documents from the February plenary meeting of the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health of July 2007.
An important document discussed at this meeting was the future of the Platform beyond 2007.
DG Sanco distributed a discussion paper two days before the meeting took place, and the participants gave their general opinion about the future of the Platform.
Members of the platform are also allowed to send written comments before the end of July 2007, so the (...)
The European Commission launched on 30 May 2007 a White paper on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues.
Updated with the reactions from stakeholders.
In this document the European Commission has shown its awareness about the alarming situation of overweight and obesity in Europe and its consequences on health. However the measures proposed are not in line with the seriousness of the situation.
The European Commission states that some of the measures should be the revision (...)
The Faculty of Public Health published in march 2007 a report on the impact of the EU common agricultural Policy on public health, titled “A CAP on health?”.
The current obesity epidemic has put in the limelight the importance of diet on our health. The most significant determinant of food choice are price and availability. These two factors are partly regulated by the EU Common Agricultural Policy.
A new report issued by the Faculty of Public Health shows the consequences on (...)
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) seeks views on the scientific and technical guidance for the preparation and presentation of the application for authorisation of a health claim.
The regulation 1924/2006 on food and health claims gives a critical role to EFSA as its role will be to assess whether any claims about the health benefits or nutritional value of foods are scientifically reliable and justified.
The European Commission has asked the agency to issue an opinion on (...)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a report calling for legislation to be put in place if recommendations to reduce the salt content in processed food continue to be ignored by the food industry.
The WHO recommendations - Reducing salt intake in populations 2007 - call for both governments and industry to commit to reducing the average salt consumption of the adult population to the maximum of 5g salt/day.
If the food industry fails to comply with the recommendations (...)
Food Standards Australia New Zealand- an independent bi-national agency responsible for setting food standards - is developing new standards to regulate nutrition and health claims.
The agency has procduced a Preliminary Final Assesment Report which is now open to an additional round of consultation.
Conceptual framework
According to the Report, claims will be classified as nutrition content claims, general level health claims, and high level health claims. Nutrition content claims are (...)
More and more countries in Europe are adopting legislation on the availability or advertising of unhealthy food. This article will be updated regularly on the progress of European countries on the matter. If you believe there have been new developments, do not hesitate communicating it to Silvia Marcos Simon.
France
In 2005, vending maching selling soft drinks and chocolate bars were banned from schools in France.
Since the beginning of March 2007, advertisements for unhealthy food and (...)
The European Commission has announced plans to support fruit and vegetable production, ahead of the 2008 review of the Common Agriculture Policy.
According to the Commission, the reforms aim to improve competitiviness, protect farmers from crisis, and implement fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption and environmental protection.
It takes stock on a consultation launched in 2006, to which EPHA had responded.
The proposals are as follows:
Closing the link between subsidies and the amount of (...)
Healthy Food for All is a new initiative to promote access, availability and affordabilty of healthy food for low-income groups. The aim of the initiative is to address diet-related ill-health and to end food poverty in the island of Ireland. It aims to address a healthier nutrition as well as challenge health inequalities.
The Healthy Food for All Initiative has recently received an award at the World Health Organisation Istanbul conference on obesity as an example of best practices to (...)
Over half of the most highly advertised children’s food and beverage products that clearly show fruit on their packaging, contain no fruit at all, according to the ’Where’s the fruit?’ study released in the U.S.
The study, which focuses on TV adverts of food and beverages which are targeted at children, was carried out by the Prevention Institute, a non-profit center that aims to improve public health. The brands used for the study were the identified as the (...)
4 MEPs have decided to take a leading role in combating trans-fatty acids in food and are urging for a ban on the use of trans-fatty acids in food.
John Bowis (EPP-ED UK), Linda McAvan (PES UK), Dan Jorgensen (PES DK) and Jim Higgins (EPP-ED IRL) have tabled a written declaration (attached) to the European Parliament to reduce and ultimately ban the use of Trans Fatty Acids in food. A written declaration has to be signed by half of the Members of the European Parliament before being (...)
*UPDATED with the results of the consultations:* The British media regulator OFCOM ruling bans junk food advertising during programmes targeted at under-16s. However, health advocates feel these restrictions are not enough. The debate is closely linked with European revision of the Television Without Frontiers Directive.
After extensive research and public consultation, Ofcom, have put forward restrictions which are intended to limit children’s exposure to television advertising of food and (...)
The World Health Organisation Europe is to publish by the end of 2007 the Second Action Plan for food and nutrition for the European region. EPHA has responded to a consultation launched by WHO EURO in order to prepare the Action Plan.(response attached)
First Action Plan for food and nutrition for the European region
Main objectives of the draft Action Plan
On November 2006 in Istanbul WHO/Europe organized the European Ministerial Conference on Counteracting Obesity where the first draft (...)
On December 20 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a Resolution designating World Diabetes Day as a United Nations Day to be observed every year starting in 2007.
Disadvantaged Communities and Vulnerable Groups
On 14 November 2006, World Diabetes Day focused on diabetes in disadvantaged communities and vulnerable groups.
The event was established by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), an EPHA member, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1991 with the aim (...)
This article has been updated with information about the "European Day of Healthy Food and Cooking."
http://eu.mini-chefs.eu/pdf/contest... Children from a Romanian school won the EU Mini-Chef drawing contest. Their artwork was produced as a poster advertising the campaign of the European Day for Healthy Food and Cooking, which was celebrated on 8 November 2007. In preparation for the European Day for Healthy Food and Cooking, the drawing contest was launched and directed toward children (...)
The new campaign report, entitled "Fables: Exploding industry myths on responsible food marketing to kids", names and shames UK food companies who are targeting children as consumers of junk food.
This research, published by Which? in November 2006, reveals that leading food companies in the UK are increasingly marketing junk food to children, despite concerns about rising rates of obesity and diet-related disease.
According to the independent consumer protection group Which?, many of these (...)
The Latvian government has introduced thougher limits to the availability of unhealthy foods at schools and kindergardens by establishing nutrient profiles.
Existing health and safety legislation regarding schools and kindergardens, introduced by the Ministry of Health, has been amended to include reference to the availability of junk food in these settings.
According to recent data, the food for sale in educational institutions has become more and more unhealthy. As a direct consequence, (...)
The Nordic Council of Ministers have released an Action Plan on health, food and physical activity which includes specific Nordic initiatives as well as a number of common positions on issues that are currently being discussed in the EU and WHO.
The Nordic Plan of Action is a joint venture between two ministries of the Nordic Council - the ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Agriculture, Foodstuffs, and Forestry and the ministry for Social Security and Health Care.
The Nordic Action (...)
EPHA participated in a debate with the food industry on healthy eating issues, organised by the British Retail Consortium.
EPHA took the opportunity to raise the issue of independent development of nutritional profiling by food manufacturers and retailers.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) held a lunchtime debate in the European Parliament on 4 October 2006, chaired by MEP Linda McAvan. Representatives from retailers such as Asda, Tesco, Marks & Spencers, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s were (...)
Just a couple of months ago, in August 2006, the European Commission found that a total of €161.9 million of EU farm money was misspent by Member States and must be reimbursed.
Now in October 2006 it appears that the Commission has decided to recover a much larger figure of money. The revised total of €317.3 million is almost twice the original sum.
Similar to the August fiasco, the money will be recovered because of inadequate control procedures or non-compliance with EU rules on (...)
Worrying initiatives are being launched in the current debate on advertising and marketing to children.
The latest action of the food and drink industry, as led by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), is a new Framework for Responsible Food and Beverage Marketing Communications.
The framework represents a further effort by industry to self-regulate.
However, the ability of industry to self-regulate has been repeatedly been called into question by scientists, academics, NGOs and (...)
On 19 September 2006, the members of the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health met for the eighth plenary meeting.
Robert Madelin, Director General of the European Commission’s DG SANCO, chaired and opened the plenary meeting of the Platform.
EPHA’s Lara Garrido Herrero and Eimear O’Loughlin both attended the morning session, while Eimear attended the afternoon session.
A full report of this meeting is available below.
The EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and (...)
Obesity is one of the most serious health challenges facing Europe today. European Union (EU) citizens are exercising too little and eating too much - too much energy, too many calories, too much fat and sugar, and salt. The main consequence is a sustained, acute EU-wide increase in overweight and obesity. The increase is particularly severe for children and adolescents.
The EU has an important role to play in containing or reversing the current trend. EU policy affects food safety, (...)
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will hold a scientific conference on health and nutritional claims, in Bologna, November 8-10.
The conference aims to explain EFSA’s scientific role within the context of new EU legislation on nutrition and health claims.
The emphasis of the three-day conference will be on the advantages and limitations of different systems for nutritional profiling as well as on the scientific substantiation of claims.
Attendance is limited to 200 people. As EFSA (...)
The WHO European Ministerial Conference on Counteracting Obesity, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and hosted by the Government of Turkey, took place in Istanbul on 15-17 November 2006.
The Conference aimed to place obesity high on the public health and political agendas, in order to foster greater awareness and high-level political commitment towards action and to promote international and intersectoral partnerships.
During the Conference, (...)
The Swedish Institute for Public Health issued a health impact assessment on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), which has recently been complemented by an equivalent report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in the United States of America.
Both reports demonstrate that agriculture policies on both sides of the Atlantic do not contribute to healthier diets at the moment.
Ahead of the CAP reform in 2008, the Common Market Organisation on wine is already in discussion and (...)
Healthy eating costs more in convenience stores, according to a recent report on the cost of healthy eating and specialised diets in Ireland.
The Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) have released a report on the cost of healthy eating and specialised diets in Ireland, which focuses on the varying costs of healthy foods.
The report is the most comprehensive review of specialised diets and food costs that has been carried out in Ireland in the past decade. The study examines how (...)
On 4 July 2006 the members of the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, including EPHA, met for their seventh meeting. Robert Madelin, Director General of the European Commission’s DG SANCO, chaired and opened the plenary meeting of the Platform.
EU-US Conference Discussion
Debate arose following a debriefing on the EU-US conference on good practices held in May, which EPHA attended. Issues raised included lack of evidence for the effects of “education programmes” (...)
EPHA attended a two-day EU/US transatlantic conference "Good practices: Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health", hosted by the European Commission in the framework of the European Platform for Action on the same topic.
The meeting was chaired jointly by Robert Madelin, Director-General, DG Consumer Health and Protection (SANCO) within the European Commission and Van Hubbard, US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).
Debra Platt Majoras, Chairman of the US Federal Trade (...)
A recent report by the US Institute of Medicine concludes that the marketing creativity of the food industry could be used to promote healthy foods and gives them practical tips to do so.
The US Institute of Medicine, through the Food and Nutrition Board and the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, undertook a comprehensive study of the science-based effects of food marketing on the diets and health of children and youth in the United States: "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat (...)
The independent consumer protection group Which? has recently published a report entitled "Childcatchers: the tricks used to puch unhealthy food to your children".
The report identifies more than 40 different marketing methods used to encourage children to eat foods high in fat, sugar and salt, ranging from product placement in films to text (or SMS) marketing.
The report also higlights the need for tighter controls in this area that address all forms of advertising and promotion to (...)
The United States Institute of Medicine of the National Academies published a report on Food Marketing and Children, titled "Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?".
Commissioned by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the US Congress, the report presents a comprehensive review of the scientific evidence on the influence of food marketing on American children’s and adolescents’ diet and health.
The US Committee on Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and (...)
A coalition of European NGOs have launched a campaign against food irradiation in the European Union.
Food irradiation involves exposing food to energy from sources such as gamma rays, X-rays or electron beams.
The aim is to kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms that may cause food poisoning. Irradiation has other effecs such as delaying ripening and sprouting in foods, thereby helping to extend shelf life.
The Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission have established principles (...)
The European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC) and the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) organised a conference on “Generation Excess II: a review of transatlantic approach to tackling obesity and diet related disease” on 1-2 December 2005 in Brussels.
The conference brought together a variety of stakeholders and regulators to consider what actions have to be taken in US and Europe to tackle obesity.
The first day the discussion concentrated on where we stand now in (...)
The fourth plenary meeting of the European Union Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health took place on 30 November 2005 in Brussels. The meeting was chaired by Robert Madelin, Director General of DG SANCO at the European Commission.
Nutrition and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Following the chair’s introduction, the floor was given to Mr Lars Hoelgaard, Deputy Director-General of DG Agriculture, who delivered a presentation on the "CAP contribution to the European Platform on (...)
The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) published a report in December 2005 which highlights the increasing health care costs of malnutrition in the United Kingdom.
The report, entitled "The cost of disease-related malnutrition in the UK and economic considerations for the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) in adults" found that malnutrition costs the UK more than 10.8 billion Euros a year (7.3 billion British pounds) - more than double the bill for (...)
*UPDATE*: The regulation on food and health claims was published in the Official Journal in December 2006.
EPHA is closely following the developments in the EP of the Commission’s draft Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods.
Articles 4 and 11 are the most controversials (on nutrition profiles and implied health claims).
Three Committees of the EP were in charge of writing reports and opinions on the Commission proposal. Although there was a general agreement amongst (...)
The European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC) conducted a survey on European consumers’ perception of foodstuffs labelling, revealing the effectiveness of nutritional claims in attracting consumers’ attention and influencing their purchase.
BEUC’s study attempts to evaluate the different factors that influence a consumer when buying foodstuff. The interest in nutrition, the sources of information, the nutritional knowledge, understanding and perception and eventually, the impact (...)
The partners of the project ¨Food Risk Communication and Consumers’ Trust in the Food Supply Chain-TRUST" presented their research findings on the final series of dissemination meetings in Brussels.
The main conclusions from the project were:
that consumer decision in food hazard is mostly affected by emotional factors and perception of shared values rather than socio-economic variables;
consumers do not exploit their potential to influence the market and protect their own safety; (...)
World Health Organisation announces that the obesity epidemic has now dramatically reached low and middle income countries.
Strikingly, more than 75% of men and women suffer from overweight in countries as diverse as Egypt, Barbados, South Africa, Mexico or Argentina.
According to the WHO, 3 different factors can explain this paradox:
Shift in daily diet towards high energy, fat, salt and sugar intake;
The sedentary nature of modern life which doesn’t lead to physical activity; (...)
Time spent watching television is a significant predictor of obesity in childhood, suggests a recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Television viewing should be considered as an important factor leading to childhood obesity, since children are less active and tend to eat while watching TV.
This common feeling is now confirmed by a study, led by researchers at New Zealand’s University of Otago, which shows that the 41% who suffer from overweight or obesity by (...)
On 21 September 2005 the members of the EU Platform for Action met in London for their third plenary meeting.
The third meeting of the European Platform on Diet, Nutrition and Physical Activity included a morning session focused on the Platform activities and an afternoon session on the reformulation of foods organised by the UK Presidency.
Plenary meeting of the Platform
Robert Madelin, Director General of the European Commission’s DG Sanco, chaired and opened the plenary meeting of the (...)
Safe Food International (SFI) has published a set of Guidelines for Consumer Organisations to Promote National Food Safety Systems. The Safe Food International Guidelines cover eight elements necessary for an effective national food safety programme.
Safe Food International is a project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a not-for-profit group based in Washington D.C. The project treats food safety issues on a global scale and sees such issues as increasingly relevant across (...)
The European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) Panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies (NDA) has issued an opinion on the Tolerable Upper Intake Level of Sodium, warning that salt increases blood pressure, a major risk factor in heart disease and premature death.
The panel stated that althoufh sodium is an essential nutrient, most Europeans’ daily intake of sodium (8-11g) far exceeds the daily recommended allowance of 1.5g. The major sources of sodium in diet are processed (...)
Robert Madelin, Director General of the European Commission’s DG Sanco, chaired on 25 May 2005 the first meeting of the European Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
The Commission has published a summary of the meeting and all of the presentations.
The Platform was officially launched in March 2005 and includes the organisations involved in the preparatory work on obesity during 2004 and a number of stakeholders that have applied to join on the basis of a joint commitment to (...)
The results of a qualitative survey (in French) on consumer attitudes and expectations towards labelling carried out in 28 European Countries (25 Member States, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland) by the European Commission shows that European consumers are confused between nutritional information and marketing claims on food products.
The results of this survey are of particular importance as a Commission proposal for a Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods is going through (...)
The European Commission has adopted guidelines in the form of Directive (2005/26/EC) on the implementation of legislation on food labelling. The new law of 25 March 2005 establishes a list of food ingredients or substances provisionally excluded from being labelled.
Directive 2000/13/EC of 20 March 2000 is the law which covers food labelling for products sold directly to the consumer. Since 2000, the law has been amended twice: once to establish the definition of meat for labelling (...)
The Directive on Infant Formulae is now published.
According to IBFAN, the main shortcomings of the Directive are related to the marketing of infant formulae and follow-on formulae. Under the new Directive, the European Commission has the power to adopt legislation on specialized foods (including baby foods) without having to consult the EU Parliament. The framework might be harmful as health can be undermined by marketing practices without the direct consultations with the EU Parliament. (...)
There is no overall food and nutrition strategy at EU level.
For a number of years, many health NGOs have been calling for a comprehensive approach that would integrate overall nutrition goals, the Common Agriculture Policy, food safety measures and legislation on food labelling, marketing and promotion.
The role of inappropriate or poor nutrition in illness has been conclusively proved by the World Health Organisation: "41 % of healthy life years are lost through diseases with major (...)
Irradiation of food is permitted in the European Union according to legislative guidelines.
A number of French NGOs will demonstrate outside irradiation facilities on 5 March 2005 to indicate their strong concerns about potential danger from food irradiation and the lack of proper informaiton for consumers. Action Consommation, Agir Pour l’Environnement, Les Amis de la Terre - France, Association Léo Lagrange pour la Défense des Consommateurs, ATTAC - France, Biocoop Bure-Stop, (...)
A preparatory meeting to lauch the "Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health" was organised on the 15 February by DG Sanco.
This meeting included the members of the Obesity Round Table plus around 20 suggested additional participants and responsibles for health issues of the Permanent Representations of the EU Member States to the EU (involved in the preparation of Health Council meetings).
Amongst these suggested additional participants was EPHA.
DG Sanco’s report to the (...)
On the 21 January 2005, DG SANCO’s Obesity Round Table met for the fourth time and confirmed the launch of a Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, foreseen in March 2005.
The Obesity Round Table is chaired by DG SANCO Director General Robert Madelin, and previous meetings were held in July, October and December 2004.
The meeting of 21 January focused mainly on the preparation of a document which will be the bases for a "Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health".
DG Sanco (...)
The third meeting of DG SANCO’s Obesity Round Table was held on 14 December 2004 under the chairmanship of Robert Madelin, Director General for Health and Consumer Protection.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the Commission’s draft paper "Nutrition and Health - a European Platform for Action". This paper proposes to create a Platform which would look at Nutrition and Health issues and would include all interested stakeholders.
According to the Commission, the proposed Platform would (...)
In a meeting at the European Parliament of the stakeholder networks and organisations concerned with the reform of the EU-sugar regime organised by the European Food Sovereignty Platform and the Green Group/EFA on 29 November 2004, the needs of European society and developing countries were discussed.
This meeting was organised on the eve of the hearing on the proposed sugar reform in the EP agriculture, development and international trade committees.
The EU will have to reduce subsidies (...)
The 22-23 November 2004 meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, discussed key reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Sugar Reform
The Council completed its thorough examination of the Commission’s Communication on the sugar sector reform.
Summary of the Council discussions:
the need for a reform: all delegations agreed that the status quo in the Common Market Organisation (CMO) for sugar is not sustainable;
the international aspects of sugar: a large majority (...)
The second meeting of DG SANCO’s Roundtable on obesity was held on 29 October 2004 and focused on sharing best practice on food labelling, marketing and product development.
Chaired by SANCO Director Robert Madelin, the meeting was a follow-up to the first Roundtable meeting on obesity organised in July 2004. Participants included NGOs, the WHO, food industry and consumer groups. The first meeting outlined the areas for discussion as regulation, data, communication and information, food (...)
The European Policy Centre organised on 19 October 2004 a policy dialogue about novel foods regulation in the EU.
Speakers included:
Mr Andreas Klepsch from the Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General in the European Commission, who represented the Commission
Mr Dick Toet, Senior Regulatory Advisor to Unilever, Ms Beate Kettlitz, Food Advisor to the European Consumers’ Organisation (BEUC)
John O’Brien, Chief Executive Officer of the Irish Food Safety Authority.
David Jonas, (...)
The second global forum of Food Safety Regulators met 12-14 October in Bangkok, Thailand. Organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 300 food safety regulators from over 100 countries attended the forum entitled "Building Effective Food Safety Systems" .
"The burden of death and disease from food borne disease is huge, and yet, a better organisation and communication between authorities along the entire (...)
The Assembly of European Regions (AER) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) launched a joint campaign in Strasbourg on 14 September that aims to protect traditional crops from the consequences of the introduction of new genetic technologies.
The AER and FoE will lobby, among other things, for a European legal framework on the coexistence of traditional and transgenic crops as well as a legal recognition of GMO - free zones in Europe.
The two groups call for several measures to be implemented (...)
On Wednesday 8th September the Commission met to discuss a proposal that establishes labelling thresholds below which adventitious or technically unavoidable presence of traces of authorised genetically modified seeds in conventional seed lots would not have to be labelled.
The threshold of the initial proposal was 0.5%.
However no agreement was found, as some Member States decided that there wasn’t enough scientific evidence. This Commission will not look further into it and new evidence (...)
DG SANCO has established a new Advisory Group on the food chain. The new group will bring together key stakeholders including farmers, the food industry, retailers, consumer organisations and others to advise the European Commission on food safety policy. It will meet at least twice a year and consist of up to 45 members from EU-level associations. Reflecting the Commission’s "farm to fork" approach to food safety, the group will be consulted on matters ranging from policy on pesticides (...)
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) has been adopted by the US Government and will come into force on 1 January 2006. It is designed to help consumers to easily identify safe and unsafe foods.
The Act requires food labels to identify in plain English if the product contains any of the eight major food allergens responsible for over 90% of all allergic reactions- milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat and soybeans. The law covers all (...)
On 20 July 2004, the Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco) of the Euroepan Commission organised the first meeting of the Obesity Round Table, with the aim of providing a forum for open and informal discussions on approaches to tackle the obesity epidemic.
In his introductory statement, Robert Madelin, Director General and Chairman of the Round Table, underlined that obesity is to be considered as a core health issue and, as such, it will be a high priority for the (...)
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, created in 1963 by FAO and WHO to develop food standards, has released new draft guidelines on nutrition and health claims after their 27th Session held on 28 June - 3 July 2004 in Geneva.
Codex states in point 7.2:
“Health claims should have a clear regulatory framework for qualifying and/or disqualifying conditions for eligibility to use the specific claim, including the ability of competent national authorities to prohibit claims made for foods (...)
US health professional organisations "Physicians for Social Responsibility" (PSR) and the Association of Reproductive Health Professional (ARHP) have released on 18 June 2004 guidelines to safe fish consumption written by doctors.
The guides urge women of child-bearing age and children to avoid fish that are highest in mercury and PCBs.
These guidelines follow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently announced guidelines.
According (...)
Excessive salt intake raises the risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of stroke and premature death from cardiovascular diseases - warn the scientists from two British organisations: Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and Consensus Action on Salt and Health.
The current public health recommendations suggest that salt intake should be reduced from 9-12 to 5-6 grams per day for adults. Clinical trials demonstrate a clear link between salt reduction and the (...)
More research and continued surveillance is still needed in key areas to address public concerns over the potential risks posed to human health and the environment by genetically modified (GM) food, says an updated position statement from the BMA’s Board of Science.
The BMA statement is prepared following a review of available evidence and takes account of a spectrum of views on the safety of GM food that were expressed at a round table meeting of experts.
Sir David Carter, Chairman of the (...)
The UK Health Select Committee of MPs has published a report condemning the government response to the growing obesity epidemic and demanding urgent action.
The Committee makes more than 70 recommendations for reforms to school food, labelling, transport and agricultural policies but stopped short of recommending regulation of TV advertising, calling instead for voluntary controls.
The report estimates that in the UK obesity costs £3.7 billion pounds per year.
What the government should (...)
A new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) reveals that overweight affects 1 in 10 children worldwide.
The report, "Obesity in children and young people: A crisis in public health", has been issued by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) of the WHO in co-operation with the Iternational Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) in May 2004.
Around 30-45 million within that figure are classified as obese - accounting for 2-3% of the world’s children aged 5-17.
A further (...)
Agricultural multinational Monsanto announced on 11 May 2004 that they have given up on further development or open field trials of its genetically engineered "Roundup Ready" wheat.
This follows similar announcement in 2003 on the withdrawal from the development of pharmaceutical crops.
Greenpeace says that it’s a hard-won victory for every environmental group, every consumer, every cyberactivist who has said "no" to genetically engineered foods."
Greenpeace believes that Monsanto’s (...)
The European Green party has launched a new campaign on to examine agriculture, food and nutrition policies in the EU.
The campaign is designed to provoke public debate and action on issues on key issues such as:
How to improve the safety of food without sacrificing quality and taste
How to prevent Europe’s agriculture and environment from being deliberately contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
How to fish in a manner that does not destroy the oceans and coastal (...)
MEPs are calling for closer monitoring and criminal sanctions on safety, labelling and inspection of animal feed products.
On 9 March 2004, the Environment Committee will give a 1st reading to a report by MEP Marit PAULSEN (ELDR, S) on the draft Regulation on official feed and food controls.
After a number of food scares such as BSE and salmonella, the EU has prioritised safety of the food chain. This new draft regulation would bring together several existing pieces of legislation covering (...)
The Commission will adopt a proposal to authorise import and processing of a type of GMO maize (NK603).
All GM seed varieties have to be approved and authorised in the EU for cultivation under Directive 2001/18 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms or under the Regulation 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed.
Authorisation is only granted after a positive scientific assessment has concluded that no unacceptable risks to the environment (...)
The World Health Organisation has published a new book on the components of food and nutrition policies and the evidence supporting them.
Food and Health in Europe: a basis for action describes food- and nutrition-related ill health and its costs, shows the need for action and describes the steps for policy-makers to take. The book and associated executive summary highlights the urgent need for integrated, multisectoral food and nutrition policies to encourage the sustainable production of (...)
UK industry has challenged the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC before the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
On Friday 30th January 2004, the UK Health Food Manufacturers Association, together with the UK National Association of Health Stores, and with support from UK Consumers for Health Choice and the Alliance for Natural Health , won a legal ruling from the High Court in London that allowed them to take a challenge to the legality and proportionality of the Food Supplements Directive (...)
The Executive Board of the WHO has accepted the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health as an agenda item for the 2004 World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.
The strategy was requested by Member States at WHA 2002 to address two of the major risk factors responsible for the heavy and growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and obesity. NCDs now account for some 60% of global deaths and almost half (47%) of (...)
Scientists are warning that salmon from European fish farms is so contaminated by cancer-causing chemicals that, in the worst cases, it should not be eaten more than three times a year. The research, published in the US magazine Science, was co-authored by David Carpenter, director of the University of Albany’s Institute for Health and the Environment.
American and Canadian researchers took samples from 700 wild and farmed salmon purchased from shops in North and South America and Europe. (...)
The European Commission has proposed a Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods and the draft text is being discussed by the European Parliament and the Council. The aim of the Regulation is to limit misleading or confusing marketing claims on food products and help consumers to make informed choices about their food purchases and diet.
EPHA has extensively consulted its members organisations and produced a position paper on the draft Regulation, highlighting the importance (...)
MEP Dr. Renate Sommer, rapporteur for the PPE group is organising a public hearing in the European Parliament on 8 January 2003 on the draft Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on food. Speakers include Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne and representatives of consumers, retailers and the food industry.
The draft programme and registration form are available for (...)
The obesity time bomb prompts new debate in the UK
The Food Standards Agency launches an online consultation with British consumers to explore the efficacy of banning advertsing specifically targeted at children.
This follows the publication of a new report by the FSA which shows a direct link between advertsing, and purchasing and consumption of food products.
The FSA rightly stresses that advertising is not just about television images, but also includes radio, text messages, (...)
A new report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization points to the rising numbers of people going hungry - November 2003
The report The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2003 shows that the downward trend of the 1990s has been halted, and that the number going hungry has increased by 18 million in recent years. According to the FAO, this takes up the number to approximately 842 million people.
This means that the target set by the World Food Summit to reduce the numbers (...)
Increased consumption of fruit and vegetables could save 2.7 million lives per year
This was the finding of the WHO Global Forum on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD) Prevention and Control, 2002.
Read about risk factors and quantification
This has prompted the World Health Organization & the Food and Agriculture Organization to announce this month, a global initiative to promote greater consumption of fruit and vegetables.
A recent report by WHO/FAO called Diet, nutrition and the (...)
On 17 November the Commission proposed a new regulation establishing harmonised rules on the voluntary addition of vitamins, minerals and other substances (including herbal extracts) to food products in the EU.
Foods are generally "fortified" with nutrients (vitamins and minerals) to replace some of the nutritional value lost during their processing or storage, or to enhance the nutritional value of food products by adding nutrients that are not normally contained in that food item. (...)
The European Commission has published two calls for proposals in the area of ’food quality and safety’ under the Sixth Framework Programme activity of the same name.
This is one of the areas covered by the ’integrating and strengthening the European Research Area’ specific programme.
The areas covered by these calls include: the epidemiology of food related diseases and allergies, the impact of food on health and environmental health risks.
FP6-2003-FOOD-2-A
FP6-2003-FOOD-2-B
The (...)
On 9 October, Commissioner David Byrne gave a speech at the European Parliament Intergroup on Commercial Communications.
At the end of his speech, he mentioned the proposal for a Regulation on the use of health and nutrition claims on foods, adopted by the Commission in July.
Commissioner Byrne said that the proposal on health claims was necessary when "bringing forward a general proposal on unfair commercial practices".
He made clear that the aim of the proposal was to eliminate "not (...)
Speaking at a conference in London on obesity, nutrition, and cancer on 17 September 2003, organised by the World Cancer Research Fund and sponsored by the UK Department of Health, experts warned that the rapidly rising prevalence of obesity is taking a huge toll on global health.
Click here to see full BMA article on this issue.
New research published in September 2003 suggests a link between chronic stress and obesity.
Prof. Mary F. Dallman (University of California, San Francisco) published her findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Tests on rats suggest that high-fat and high-carbohydrate foods inhibit the release of stress hormones. Chronic stress can lead to a constant urge to eat such foods.
The findings have been welcomed by the scientific community, which has called for further (...)
The Council and the European Parliament adopted an amendment to the EU food labelling Directive on 29 September.
The Commission has announced that the amendment will ensure that consumers are informed of the complete contents of foodstuffs subject only to a very limited number of derogations.
Commission’s press release.
See EPHA’s related article: "Labelling of ingredients of foodstuffs tightened (...)
New legislation on EU measures to control outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was adopted by the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 29 September.
The Directive sets out detailed measures to rapidly control and eradicate the disease and outlines procedures on recovering the status "free of FMD and infection without vaccination", which is of crucial importance for trade.
David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, welcomed Council’s adoption of the Directive. (...)
On 22 September, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, David Byrne, gave a speech on "Food safety and third countries".
Commissioner Byrne’s speech at the Informal Agriculture Council in Taormina.
The US Department of Agriculture is proposing dietary advice that for the first time recognizes that a majority of Americans, 64 percent, are overweight and sedentary and need to eat less. Until now, the department’s Food Guide Pyramid has been aimed at the nation’s healthy population. Under the current proposals, recommendations for these more active people would continue to be available but would no longer be the central focus of government nutrition information.
The new recommendations (...)
The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) has issued a position paper called "Obesity in Europe - 2: Waiting for a green light for health? Europe at the crossroads for diet and disease".
The position paper offers an updated perspective on the issues identified in the first report, Obesity in Europe, published at the European Union "Obesity Summit", convened by the Danish presidency and held in Copenhagen on 11-12 September 2002.
IOTF website
IOTF position paper on "Obesity in Europe - (...)
The European Commission decided on 2nd September to turn down GMO-free zones as it rejected a request from the Upper Austrian regional Government to ban the use of genetically engineered seeds.
The Austrians (supported by Wales and a few local authorities in the west of England) had asked permission from Brussels to introduce a three-year long ban on GMO-seeds as the coexistence between GM and non-GM methods of agricultural production are not fully resolved.
The Commission then consulted (...)
A group of organisations that work on food, nutrition, agriculture and trade, has issued a "Peoples’ Food Sovereignty Statement".
This is already signed by a range of organisations (see the list at the end of the attachment).
If your organisations is not on but does want to support this statement please send your organisations signature to Andrianna Natsoulas (the statement can only be signed by organisations, not by individual persons).
They intend to give this text broad coverage in (...)
Last Wednesday 16 July the Commission adopted a proposal that could spell the beginning of the end for well-known advertising slogans and claims used by food and pharmaceutical companies across the EU.
The proposal harmonises rules concerning vague or misleading claims used by advertisers in the food industry.
As well, this proposal outlines a greater degree of precision in the labelling and marketing of foods and health products.
EURO COOP, the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, (...)
The European Food Safety Authority has issued a document which rules out plans to set up GM free zones in different parts of Europe.
The Commission asked for the EFSA scientific opinion after some EU regions, such as Upper Austria, Wales and a few local authorities in the west of England, showed interest in excluding GM crops from their reion and wanted to be declared GMO free zones.
EFSA (...)
Last 8th July, David Byrne, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, gave a speech on "Food for thought - nutrition and public health policy" at the Children and nutrition Congress, Berlin.
Full speech
MEP Christa KLASS (EPP-ED, D) member of EP’s Environment and Health Committee, tabled on 1st July 2003 a draft legislative resolution broadly approving the Council’s common position (see timeline of the process below) for amending the Labelling Directive (2000/13/EC) as regards indication of the ingredients present in foodstuffs.
The Council’s commom position had incorporated many of the changes demanded by the EP at first reading. However, Ms Klass included an amendment on the list of (...)
Karin SCHEELE (PES, A), for the Environment Committee, in a draft legislative resolution on genetically modified food and feed, aims to amend Council’s common position next 1st July.
EP’s press release
Recommendation for second reading on the Council common position for adopting a European Parliament and Council regulation on genetically modified food and feed (5204/3/2003 - C5?0133/2003 - (...)
After 3 weeks of delays, on 26 June, EU farm ministers adopted a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The key elements of the new, reformed CAP in a nutshell:
a single farm payment for EU farmers, independent from production; limited coupled elements may be maintained to avoid abandonment of production,
this payment will be linked to the respect of environmental, food safety, animal and plant health and animal welfare standards, as well as the requirement to keep all farmland (...)
The Stakeholder Forum, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, organised last April an online discussion on the WHO’s proposed Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health.
The discussion started on 31 March and lasted for four weeks on the dedicated website: WHO wanted to receive civil society input into the Strategy, and to spread awareness of this important initiative, which launches in 2004.
The topics were:
Week 1 (31 March - 4 April): Focus areas for the (...)
Scientists, farmers and policymakers convened at the invitation of Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler and his research counterpart Philippe Busquin for a ’round table’ on coexistence - how to manage the production of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops on the same farm or between neighbouring farms on May 2003.
The talks focused on two kinds of GM crops - maize and oilseed rape - that are candidates to be planted across Europe if a de facto moratorium on introducing (...)
Please find below the draft agenda for the first meeitng of the Community Action Programme on Public Health Nutrition and Physical Activity (NPA) network, to be held on 30 June - 1 July 2003.
For more information, please contact the European Commission, Filomena Lopo.
EPHA participated last 8-9 May in a meeting organised by Solidar, Oxfam International and CIDSE.
In this meeting NGOs told European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy that the EU, and others, have so far failed to deliver on their promises to make development the primary focus of the current WTO, Doha Development round negotiations.
Lamy recognized that developing countries are sometimes put under unacceptable pressure in WTO negotiations.
He stated that the EU categorically rejected these (...)
The chocolate manufacturer Cadbury is launching a £9m campaign to encourage children to buy 160m chocolate bars, containing nearly 2m kg of fat, to trade in for "free" sports equipment for their schools. The initiative is supported by the UK government because ’it will help to tackle obesity’.
The Guardian
From FAO Newsroom:
Close cooperation between health and agriculture sectors needed to address growing global burden of chronic diseases 23 April 2003, Rome — FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) today launched an independent expert report on diet, which will serve as the basis for developing a global strategy to combat the growing burden of chronic diseases.
Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, the report on a two-year-long Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation, (...)
Following several months of discussions, on 18 March Italy and Finland drafted a compromise proposal on the location of the European Food Safety Agency, under which two separate agencies - one in Finland and one in Italy - would be established. The Helsinki agency would deal with food safety and control procedures and the Parma (Italy) agency would look at protection of designations and certificates of origin of agricultural products. However, on 21 March Mr Berlusconi said that, due to the (...)
On 5 March, the Scientific Committee on Food rejected the removal of the upper food irradiation limit due to insufficient scientific evidence regarding the safety of high dose irradiated foods. The Scientific Committee expressed its initial findings ahead of the delivery of its full opinion in April. In 1997 a WHO Study Group had stated that there was no scientific basis for limiting absorbed doses to the upper level of 10 kGy as currently recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. (...)
On 20th March the European Court of Justice ended an eight year battle over food additives between the Danish government and the European Commission. A victory for the environment, said the Danish food minister, while EU critics called the Danish government’s "environment guarantee" into question.
Curia Website on the issue
On 13th March, the advocate general of the case e C-236/01 "Monsanto Agricoltura SpA and Others v Presidenza del Consiglio dei ministri and Others" considers that novel foods may be placed on the market under a simplified procedure even when they contain traces of transgenic protein, provided they are absolutely safe in terms of health. In 1997 and 1998 Monsanto Europe S.A. and two other companies placed on the market under the so-called simplified procedure foods, in particular flour, (...)
The EP adopted a report from Marit Paulsen (ELDR, Sweden) proposing a ban on the use of the food additive E425 konjac in jelly products, consumed primarily by children. This first-reading Opinion (adopted under the co-decision procedure) is in line with the European Commission’s draft amendment to Directive 95/2 , aiming to introduce a permanent ban on this food additive.
This initiative follows reports that consumption of minicups containing the additive pose a risk of death by (...)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated to the International Association of Consumer Food Organization (IACFO) that it welcomes a report on the marketing of food to children, as part of WHO’s consultation process on food strategy.
This report will include data on the marketing of food to children from several countries across the world. The Food Commission, an independent non-governmental organisation campaigning for safer, healthier food for all, is coordinating the report; (...)
A $40 million Trust Fund to help the world’s least developed countries participate in Codex Alimentarius was launched in Geneva on the 13 February by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Codex Alimentarius sets food standards that protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in food trade, so it is equally important to developed and developing countries. However, many developing countries, particularly the least developed ones, (...)
«Draft EU Food Fortification Directive» This is designed to regulate the way that substances can be added to food and how this is marketed to consumers. For example, added vitamins, minerals or other substances that are beneficial to health. The draft directive (link) was discussed in a consultation in brussels on 13 February 2003 (link to programme) which was attended by EPHA and several member organisations. A brief report of the meeting is available (link). The next steps will be a new (...)
Mr Geoffrey Podger has been appointed as Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority. He will take up the position on 1 February 2003. The Executive Director was appointed by the Management Board, on the basis of a list of candidates proposed by the Commission after an open competition. The Executive Director is responsible for the day to day management of the Authority and is answerable to the Management Board. (...)
Following the Commission’s proposal, the Council has finally adopted a political agreement to set hygiene rules for food of animal origin. The legislation focuses on setting objectives while leaving business flexibility in deciding which safety measures to take. Mr Byrne welcomed the Council’s political agreement as a key aspect of achieving food safety while respecting the diversity of European food. Following the principle of flexibility, exemptions can be made for food produced according (...)
The EU has cut the allowed levels of Canthaxanthin, a pigment used to colour the feed of farmed salmon and chickens following an EU scientific committee which established a link between the colorant and retinal problems in 1997. The pigment gives farmed salmon a more pinkish colour and makes egg yokes more golden. Under the new EU rule, the maximum levels of the colourant will be cut by at least two thirds. This Directive was agreed recently by the Member States in a vote in the Standing (...)
Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at Thames Valley University, UK, believes that those involved in health must stop talking about outcomes of ill-health and concentrate on altering the determinants - such as the nutritional impact of the food supply chain, starting at the farm. He believes that changing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a symbol of whether there is real political will to act.
European Union food policy is witnessing remarkable change. (1) Although the new Fischler (...)
Fruit and vegetable consumption reduces the risks of heart disease. Europeans therefore need to be encouraged to eat more fresh fruit and green vegetables. Yet, in most European countries, supplies of this vital source of nutrients and fibre are insufficient to meet the WHO-recommended dietary intake. Should European policy encourage the production of more local produce?
Cardiovascular diseases - including coronary heart disease and stroke - are the main cause of death in Europe. They are (...)
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is to engage in public consultation and will receive public comments from interested parties on its draft scientific opinions on Dietary Reference Values. EPHA members are invited to submit their comments to EFSA directly. Further details on how to send in your comments can be found here: Open Consultations
For More Information
European Food Safety (...)
The MASTERMIND Group will organise the 6th International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness on 15 to 17 May 2008.
The MASTERMIND Group will organise the 6th International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness on 15 to 17 May 2008.
The Conference serves as a forum for discussion on issues concerning both the scientific community and the general public. The themes are Nutrition and Physical Activity because they are closely related to our general state of health, as evidenced by recent data. (...)
The World Cancer Research Fund together with the American Institute for Cancer Research launched its second expert report entitled, ’Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.’ The goal of this report is to meticulously review all the current research and generate a set of recommendations to reduce the risk of cancer in all societies.
The publication is the most comprehensive report ever published on the link between the prevention of cancer and (...)
The European Regional and Local Health Authorities Platform (EUREGHA) organised this summer 2007 the conference Health and Nutrition in the Regions of Europe that took place on 5 July in the Committee of the Regions, Brussels.
The EUREGHA conference focused on exploring regional nutrition best practice examples from across the European Union.
During the event, the European Commission presented two nutrional initiatives, the White Paper on a strategy for Europe on nutrition, overweight and (...)
The Westminster Diet & Health Forum is a forum set up by the British Parliament which aims to be an active and impartial environment where interested UK politicians and senior officials can discuss issues of public policy relating to diet and health with leaders from manufacturers, retailers and other industries associated with these areas, major interest groups, regulators and others.
The forum has a website where they publish papers on diet and health. The papers can be ordered by (...)
The results of the American "Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study)", published in the "The Lancet" in January 2005 clearly demonstrate the adverse health effects of fast-food consumption.
The authors investigated the association between reported fast-food habits and changes in bodyweight and insulin resistance (the main factor responsible for the development of type 2 diabetes) over a 15-year period in more than three thousand Americans aged 18-30.
It (...)