Promoting healthy diet and physical activity across Europe

While European Union countries have their own health policies, the EU seeks to support them with certain shared objectives. In particular, Europe’s obesity epidemic and its consequences are addressed in these Council conclusions which prioritise healthy diet and regular physical activity.

ACT

Council conclusions on nutrition and physical activity (2014/C 213/01) (Official Journal C 213, 8.7.2014, pp. 1-6).

SUMMARY

While European Union countries have their own health policies, the EU seeks to support them with certain shared objectives. In particular, Europe’s obesity epidemic and its consequences are addressed in these Council conclusions which prioritise healthy diet and regular physical activity.

WHAT DO THESE CONCLUSIONS DO?

More than half the EU’s population is overweight or obese, measured by the body mass index (BMI) classification of the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, up to 7 % of health budgets are directly spent on diseases linked to obesity, and other indirect costs result from lost productivity and premature death. These conclusions list actions to be taken to address the situation.

KEY POINTS

Ministers call on EU countries to pursue policies and initiatives such as:

• encouraging a healthy diet and physical activity throughout life, i.e. before and during pregnancy, during childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age;
• reducing childhood obesity (a particularly serious concern in the EU) and making use of the EU action plan on childhood obesity 2014-2020 to guide effective action;
• helping citizens and families to make informed choices on diet and physical activity by providing information on the impact of lifestyle on health;
• promoting healthy dietary options, making them accessible and affordable and providing opportunities in the home, school and workplace;
• incorporating walking and cycling into national and subnational transport policies and urban planning;
• using the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health as a basis for cooperation (between industry, health and consumer organisations and academia) on food reformulation (for example, to minimise trans-fats, reduce saturated fats, sugar and salt levels across all foods and appropriate portion sizes).

Together, the Commission and EU countries are urged to:

• support the WHO’s national food and nutrition action plans;
• promote action to limit exposure of children to the advertising, marketing and promotion of foods high in saturated fats, trans fatty acids, added sugars or salt;
• undertake research, for example, under the EU’s health programme.

The Commission is invited to:

• continue its support of the work of the High Level Group on Nutrition and Physical Activity and the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, and further facilitate exchange of information on good practices;
• report back by 2017 and again in 2020 on the progress made in implementing the EU action plan on childhood obesity 2014-2020, and other related initiatives.

last update 02.01.2015