The European Parliament today adopted a report on healthy diets and physical activity, with a general overall consensus on the need to act against the increase in obesity in Europe. However, the Greens/EFA group stressed the need for more courageous and effective steps to tackle the problem. Commenting on the report Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru) said:

"The food industry must take responsibility for its role in the obesity problem that Europe is facing. It is not enough to simply encourage physical activity, like offering more school sports or incentives for cycling lanes. We also need to restrict the aggressive marketing of fast food, particularly when it targets children. Schools must not become billboards for the food industry and should offer healthy food instead of sugary or fatty snacks.

"Voluntary industry commitments on the EU-Platform for activity and health are too weak to tackle the crisis. The Commission should bring forward proposals to regulate aggressive and misleading advertising and to improve the provisions for nutritional labelling of processed food. The Commission should be encouraging Member States to develop a health-conscious food policy, rather than challenging progressive steps, like the Danish ban of trans-fats, for contradicting the internal market approach.

"Addressing health problems like obesity also require a change in our attitude to food. More and more children do not learn how to cook; some of them do not even know how to cook potatoes. Basic cooking skills and knowledge about food and diets should be put back on the school agenda. Making more conscious choices about the food we consume and preparing meals from fresh ingredients is essential in order to stop the increase in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases linked to nutrition."