The European Commission published a paper last year on how to promote healthy diets and physical activity on a European level. We're discussing it in the European Parliament at the moment. Most of the relevant policy areas, such as health and education, belong to the state or country level but there are issues such as the effect of advertising, providing nutritional information on food packets and making healthy food accessible to all that the EU can have an impact on. With much of the food industry operating on a Europe-wide level these days, it makes sense to deal with these issues at that level too.

There is now unparalleled focus on obesity, especially in children. At last, too, there's realisation that if this damaging trend continues, poor diet and physical inactivity will overtake smoking as the number one avoidable cause of death. The time has come to use education and co-operation but also legislation to tackle the problems.

One of the liveliest debates in the parliament has been voluntary codes versus new laws. We can look at some examples.

Adverts aimed at children do work - of course they do, or companies wouldn't spend so much money on them. Parents have a key role to play in what foods they buy for their children, but comments on WHICH's Kids' Food Campaign website make it clear that they are fed up of marketing tactics undermining their best efforts to get their children to eat healthily. I believe that using free toys to promote unhealthy foods to children should be stopped.

I also support restrictions on TV advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt at times when a lot of children are watching TV. And that's not just specific children's TV shows: the top twenty viewed programmes for 4-15 year olds are early evening shows and soap operas.

Foods high in fat, sugar and salt should not be promoted at children at all. And celebrities should think carefully about the foods they endorse and the messages they're sending to young people.

As well as legislation we need a positive approach. Schools are central to this. As educators they teach children about the effect of lifestyles and foods on their bodies, providing creative and fun opportunities for exercise and hopefully providing freshly produced well balanced meals.

Wales has many good examples of schools taking a whole school approach to health.

Such as safe routes to schools. I visited Rhymney Comprehensive School who have been encouraging students to cycle and walk to school by developing a network of safe routes and a new bridge over the Rhymney River.

In parliament I also highlighted the excellent strategy that Carmarthenshire have in their schools - clean drinking water available at all times and teaching children how to prepare as well as cook fresh food.

Knowing what's in what we eat sounds basic but it can be difficult on a busy shopping run to work out what's high in sugar, what's low fat and what it all means.

The Food Standards Agency has proposed a simple traffic light labelling system so that it's clear on the front of food packs if it's high, medium or low in fat, sugar and salt. This has been shown in consumer research to be popular and understandable. It's the clearest way to give consumers basic information to make the right choices about healthy diets. I'll be supporting a Europe wide scheme such as this, as well as fuller information on the back of packets.

There's a lot being done - and a lot more that could be done. The figures on obesity published last week show an increasing problem. We need increased determination and stronger political will to overcome it.