1.   

RECALLS that the Treaty on European Union (TEU) marked a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer Union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen, and that the Union aims to promote the well-being of its peoples (1). The policies of the Union must, as a matter of priority, meet the needs and interests of the citizens.

2.   

RECALLS that health care is of fundamental importance to the Union and that everyone has the right of access to preventive health care under the conditions established by national laws and practices, as provided by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (2).

3.   

RECALLS that a high level of human health protection shall be ensured in the definition and implementation of all Union policies and activities (3).

4.   

RECALLS that, as stipulated, inter alia, by the European Charter on Environment and Health (4), the health of individuals and communities should take precedence over considerations of economy and trade.

5.   

RECALLS that respecting the cultures and traditions of Member States is among the core values of the Union recognised by the Treaties (5).

6.   

RECALLS the important role of Union action in adding value to Member States' efforts by complementing national policies, while respecting the responsibilities of the Member States for the definition of their health policy and for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care, in accordance with Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

7.   

RECALLS that in accordance with the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child (6), States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child and recognise the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.

8.   

RECALLS the strong commitment of all Union institutions and Member States to promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of the child in all relevant Union policies (7). In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private institutions, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. The Union commitment to the rights of the child requires a coherent approach across all relevant Union actions and initiatives, under the Treaties, the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the EU and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a common basis for all Union actions relevant to children.

9.   

EMPHASISES that the future of Europe lies in the young generation, and that health and well-being should be genuinely at the core of all Union policies, with assessment of the impact of all initiatives and measures on human health, and with a view to creating the proper environment for a healthy lifestyle. Childhood is a unique window of opportunity to influence lifetime effects on health, quality of life and prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) (8).

10.   

RECOGNISES that prevention policies focused on key factors such as healthy diet and regular physical activity are among the best investments in the personal well-being of a young European generation in good health. Preserving and protecting the personal well-being and physical and mental health of children brings benefits to all individuals, society as a whole and the economy. The importance of the ability to maintain physical and mental health and lead a health-conscious, future-oriented life is also recognised in the Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (9).

11.   

NOTES that such an investment is in turn a driver of growth for the European economy and sustainable health and social protection systems, in line with the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy (10).

12.   

RECALLS the importance of healthy growth and development of children. NOTES that diet-related conditions such as overweight and obesity are among the factors that can affect a child's immediate health and are associated with educational attainment and quality of life. Children with obesity are very likely to remain obese as adults and are at higher risk of chronic illness.

13.   

NOTES that obesity in children is a health challenge, which should also be considered in the broader context of the socioeconomic determinants of health and social inequalities.

14.   

RECALLS the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include the goal on improving nutrition and the target of reducing by one third premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment by 2030 (11) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013-2020 aiming at the reduction of risk of premature mortality from cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases (12).

15.   

RECALLS that there are four main risk factors for NCDs (tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and the harmful use of alcohol) and that therefore there is a need for more action on health promotion and disease prevention.

16.   

NOTES WITH CONCERN that the worrisome trends at EU and international level of growing chronic NCDs have an impact on the personal and social quality of life of EU citizens, and that such impact can be measured in economic terms: increased pressure on national healthcare systems, impact on government budgets and reduced capability resulting in loss of productivity (13).

17.   

RECALLS the importance of nutrition and food in improving citizens' health, as explicitly acknowledged in conclusions adopted by the Council, most recently on the topics of nutrition and physical activity, food product improvement and childhood overweight and obesity (14), tackling the challenges of food reformulation, public procurement and marketing, among others. RECALLS that the close relation between nutrition and NCDs is also recognised by the Vienna Declaration of 5 July 2013 (15) and the subsequent WHO Office for Europe European Food and Nutrition Action Plan 2015-2020 (16).

18.   

WELCOMES Member States' national policies and action plans on tackling NCDs, aimed at making the healthy choice easier for consumers by 2020 (17), including by encouraging food reformulation and healthy diet-related public procurement, restricting marketing which makes foods high in fat, salt and sugar attractive to children, and other efforts towards preventing childhood overweight and obesity. In general, reformulation should result in a healthier diet and should not lead to an increase in energy value.

19.   

RECALLS that enabling consumers to make informed choices on appropriate diets is at the heart of the Union legal framework (18).

20.   

NOTES that from conception, throughout pregnancy and the first days of life, the development of healthy habits is among the key determinants of longer life expectancy in good health, including reproductive health and intellectual development. Nutrition patterns adopted in the first three years of life can induce changes in metabolic responsiveness which may become irreversible through metabolic programming and epigenetic mechanisms (19). Thus, preventive measures aimed at steering nutrition habits should encourage consumption of food of good nutritional quality from the earliest age (20), and continue through a life-course approach.

21.   

RECOGNISES that essential, health-relevant behavioural patterns developed in childhood and youth last for life.

22.   

EMPHASISES that the social and economic environment has a key role in shaping choice. Thus, policies and initiatives addressing that environment should promote and support the uptake of a healthy diet, without unduly shifting the burden of responsibility towards the individual.

23.   

RECOGNISES that the reduction of health inequalities cannot be based only on individual choice, but also requires all relevant public policies to support healthy environments.

24.   

RECALLS that the success of an effective and ambitious prevention policy depends on the genuine implementation of a health-in-all-policies approach. Cooperation among all sectors is essential to creating a health-enhancing environment, while balancing conflicting priorities and avoiding fragmentation. This ensures a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

25.   

CONSIDERS important that other Union policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, contribute to the goal of enabling the healthy consumers choices, as also pointed out in the conclusions on ‘The Future of Food and Farming’, recently adopted by the Presidency on 19 March 2018 with the support of 23 delegations (21). ACKNOWLEDGES the contribution of the School Fruit, Vegetable and Milk Scheme and other mechanisms, supported by the CAP in Member States, to improving health outcomes in the EU (22).

26.   

ACKNOWLEDGES the need to give particular attention to children in socially disadvantaged communities. NOTES that opportunities to grow up healthy are closely linked to social determinants. Today's disease burden is rooted in the way these social factors are addressed and in the way our resources are distributed and utilised (23).

27.   

NOTES WITH CONCERN that current food choices can contribute to increasingly poor eating habits, overweight and obesity and associated NCD risk factors. Prepared and processed foods are readily available and accessible and, in general, are increasingly part of people's daily diets. In particular, young people tend to eat outside their home more often and consume easily accessible fast food with high levels of fat, salt and sugars, sugar-sweetened drinks and energy drinks.

28.   

RECOGNISES that preserving food diversity, traditional healthy diets such as the Mediterranean diet, the Nordic diet or other regional diets, and healthy eating habits and lifestyles, while improving the affordability and attractiveness of both seasonal and fresh products, as well as of food with low levels of fat, sugar and salt, is key to reversing the trend of nutrition-related chronic diseases.

29.   

NOTES WITH CONCERN that children are a vulnerable group of consumers who are particularly exposed to marketing through modern means such as sponsorship, product placement (point-of-purchase displays), sales promotion, cross-promotions using celebrities, brand mascots or popular characters, websites, packaging, labelling, emails and text messages, corporate social responsibility and philanthropic activities tied to branding opportunities, as well as communication through ‘viral marketing’ and by word-of-mouth (24). Evidence shows that advertising influences children's food preferences, purchase requests and consumption patterns (25). It also shows that in many settings, effective parental control is to a large extent difficult, if not virtually impossible.

30.   

RECALLS that under Directive 2010/13/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the provision of audiovisual media services (26), media service providers are encouraged to develop codes of conduct regarding inappropriate audiovisual commercial communications, accompanying or included in children's programmes of foods and beverages containing nutrients and substances with a nutritional or physiological effect, in particular those such as fat, trans-fatty acids, salt/sodium and sugars, excessive intakes of which in the overall diet are not recommended. Notes that some Member States' practices demonstrate that the codes of conduct can be in line with healthy diet recommendations.

31.   

RECALLS the need to reduce the average intake by EU consumers of trans-fatty acids, as also recognised by the resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 26 October 2016 (27).

32.   

NOTES with concern that the various approaches to regulation of marketing existing at local, regional or national level may not be as effective as regulation of cross-border marketing for the whole EU, bearing in mind the cross-border dimension of the problem, particularly in the digital media.

33.   

NOTES the benefits of a multi-stakeholder dialogue encouraging social and ethical responsibility in all food business operators, such as farmers and fishers, manufacturers, retailers, caterers and restaurants. ACKNOWLEDGES the spirit and some of the steps taken so far by some stakeholders via voluntary commitments under the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, including in the area of marketing (28). Establishing greater interaction and ambition at EU level can create incentives for stakeholders to establish more effective and ethical common practices on (digital) marketing to children of foods high in fat, salt and sugars, and to make more ambitious commitments that truly have an impact on improving the diets of children. NOTES that where self-regulation alone is not adequate, legislative measures might be needed.

34.   

ENCOURAGES further progress on the implementation of the WHO recommendations on the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, in line with the best interests of the child principle and the EU's obligation to ensure a high level of public health protection in the development and implementation of all its policies and activities.