European Conference on Diet, Physical Activity and Health Budapest, 19 novembre 2007

1. Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related Health Issues:The Platform for action on diet Physical activity and Health as part of an EU integrated approach European Conference on Diet, Physical Activity and Health Budapest, 19 novembre 2007 Philippe Roux Deputy Head of Unit European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection « Health Determinants » Unit

2. Part 1: The EU Institutions and the role of the CommissionPart 2: A strategic FrameworkPart 3: The EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health

3. Part 1 The EU Institutions and the role of the Commission

4. Part 1 European Institutions Institutional Triangle: Decision Makers European Commission Council of the EU European Council European Parliament European Court of Justice Advisory Committees Economic & Social Committee Committee of the Regions European Court of Auditors

5. The European Commission The Role of the Commission • Initiate & negotiate draft legislation • Ensure implementation of EU policies • Apply European Union laws • Represent the European Union on the world stage

6. Priorities • Protecting and improving • Public health • Ensuring food is safe • Promoting EU food safety • Standards worldwide • Protecting the health of animals & plants • Promoting the humane treatment of animals DG SANCO Health and Consumer Protection DG Public Health Food safety Consumer Affairs

7. Director General Robert Madelin 01 Audit and evaluation Principal Adviser 03 Science & Stakeholder relations 02 Strategy and analysis Deputy Director General Acting DDG P.Testori Coggi 04 Veterinary control programmes A General Affairs B Consumer Affairs C Public Health & Risk Assessment Principal Adivser with special responsibility for C3, C6 and C7 D Animal Health & Welfare E Safety of the Food Chain F Food & Veterinary Office A1 Biotechnology and Plant health Country profiles, coordination of follow-up Co-ordination & institutional relations B1 Policy analysis & development;relations with consumer organisations;& international relations C1 Programme management Animal Health and Standing Committees D1 E1 F1 Health Information C2 Hygiene & Control measures Food of animal origin: mammals A2 Legal affairs Animal Welfare and Feed D2 E2 F2 Unfair commercial practices and other consumer protection legislation B2 Health threats C3 Food of animal origin: birds and fish Financial resources and controls F3 A3 Product and service safety B3 Chemicals, contaminants, pesticides International questions (multilateral) D3 E3 Health determinants C4 Food of plant origin,plant health; processing & distribution Information: systems and publications F4 A4 Protection of legal, economic and other consumer interests B4 D4 E4 Food Law, nutrition and labelling International questions (bilateral) Health strategy C5 Animal nutrition import controls, residues Human resources F5 A5 Enforcement and consumer redress B5 Health measures C6 Quality, planning and development A6 Administrative Affairs Grange F6 Risk assessment C7 01/12/2006 DG SANCO Our Structure

8. SANCO’s Core Activities Public Health • Deliver a high level of health protection • Promote healthier lifestyles • Respond to disease outbreaks • Encourage member state co-operation on health • Provide accurate health information and data • Invest to tackle health inequalities • Combat smoking through legislation and campaigns • Deliver quality standards for blood, tissues, and cells Public Health “Enabling good health for all”

9. Health Determinant Unit: Mission Improve the health of European citizens and reduce health inequalities through actions to address health determinants. In particular to: • Promote health through measures to address lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity, sexual health, mental health), addictions (tobacco, alcohol, drugs), socio-economic and environmental determinants. • Take forward work under the health determinants strand of the public health programme and anti-smoking activities of the Tobacco Funds. • Coordinate work with stakeholders related to public health policies and actions. • Develop and implement initiatives to prevent accidents and injuries and diseases with a major impact on the health of people in Europe including cardiovascular diseases, asthma/allergies, diabetes),

10. Part 2:A strategic Framework

11. Overweight and Obesity in the EU: Scene setter • Obesity levels in the EU have risen by between 10-40% over the past decade. • Range of obesity prevalence in EU countries is from 10% to 27% in men and up to 38% in women. • Number of EU children affected by overweight (BMI >25) and obesity (BMI >30) is estimated to be rising by more than 400,000 a year. • Across the entire EU25, overweight affects almost 1 in 4 children. • Obesity accounts for up to 7% of health care costs. • In the EU, 9.6% of disability-adjusted life-years are lost due to poor nutrition, obesity and physical inactivity (compared with 9% due to smoking). • Obesity is a risk factor for many serious illnesses, including heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, respiratory disease, arthritis and certain types of cancer.

12. White Paper: Marshalling Community actions towards • Better informing the consumer, such as through better labelling on food products • Making the healthy option available, such as making fruits and vegetables available to schools • Encouraging physical activity, such as by encouraging community initiatives or by raising awareness of Community funds to develop the physical environment to encourage walking/cycling and other forms of activity • Focus on priority groups and settings, such as children and schools • Developing the evidence base to support policy making, such as by carrying out research into behaviour change in relation to food and nutrition • Developing monitoring systems, such as by working with the WHO to identify effective local actions

13. Challenges to private actors … • Product reformulation • Strengthen restrictions on advertising of HFSS foods to children • Sports organisations can develop campaigns • Healthy workplaces • Clinical groups develop guidelines to health professions • Civil society organisations support collection of evidence of what works But with support from the Commission (facilitation, policies, specific studies) and…in the context of a stronger partnership framework

14. EU Partnerships

15. Progress report in 2010 • Identify efforts made in each area • Commission will need support from actors to demonstrate the progress that has been made • An opportunity to reorient our approach • An opportunity to keep high profile of the issue

16. Part 3:

17. 33 members / Observers WHO, EFSA, EP, Presidencies and Member States Committee on Nutrition

18. Actions underway To date more than 200Commitments • Promotion healthy lifestyles • Labelling • Advertising and marketing • Dissemination • Research and survey • Product development • Policy development http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/docs/ synopsis_commitments.pdf

19. Actions underway “Monitoring Framework” adopted in 2006 RAND Europe produced the Second Monitoring Progress Report for the Platform published in March 2007: • Commitments represent more than 600 hundred initiatives implemented at local, regional and national levels. • An overwhelming part of the activities (37%) relates to Promoting a healthy lifestyle/Education on nutrition and/or physical activity. • Other main areas are ‘Nutrition labelling/Nutrition information’ (17% of the activities) and ‘Advertising/Marketing’ (11%). http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/platform/docs

20. Actions underway: examples • Nutrition labelling” by CIAA: Introduce VOLUNTARY measures to improve the nutritional information provided to consumers on food & drink packages across all 27 EU member states by end 2009 • EMRA (Mac Donald) nutrition scheme with by end 2007 over 30,000 restaurants world-wide plan

21. Actions underway: examples • UNESDA (nine major soft drink companies including Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes): • no advertising to children under 12 in printed media, on websites or during broadcast programmes specifically aimed at children. • no direct commercial activity in primary schools in the EU. • ensure that in secondary schools a full range of beverages - including water, juices and others - in both regular and low-calorie/calorie-free versions and in a range of serving sizes - are available in unbranded vending machines. • Irish Food Board • Food Dude Healthy Eating educational project to improve children’s long-term consumption of fruit and vegetables. • Children are given free fruit and vegetables at school for 16 days, along with peer modelling videos and rewards based on the “Food Dude” characters.

22. Actions underway: examples • World Federation of Advertisers: • agreement to implement the EACA self regulation charter among its members. • Ferrero (CIAA): • Tailoring portion sizes, namely those for Kinder chocolate, to children consumption; • Reducing the levels of trans fatty acids and salt; • Eliminating all hydrogenated fats contained in Ferrero products by 2006. • European health and fitness Associations (EHFA): • Cooperation with schools to offer multi-sport activity for teenage girls (15/16 years old).

24. Key issues • Ensure relevance of the initiatives against the objectives of the Platform. • Ensure the emergence of initiatives that can contribute to the increase of the levels of physical activity of citizens. • Create conditions that facilitate debates among the different stakeholders on individual initiatives. • Be clear on the fact that Self-regulation is not an alternative to law. On the contrary it works best within a clear legal framework that allows non-legislative approaches but also backs them up. • Create conditions for easy reporting on progress. • Building one year work programmes” is usefull. • Improving dialogue with the national authorities (i.e.: via the EU Nutrition and Physical Activity Network and/or the future High Level group on Nutrition and Physical Activity) and with national Platforms is desirable.

25. Monitoring • Review of the outcomes of codes of conducts for advertising and other voluntary approaches. • Solid monitoring framework and a transparent reporting process and actors should: • be specific when setting objectives and reporting on actions, • focus on relevant information when monitoring, • devise appropriate methods of measuring results, • communicate information clearly, • state the Platform’s contribution to a commitment, • dedicate sufficient resources to allow effective monitoring.

26. Link to background documents on White Paper & Platform www.ec.europa.eu/health/index_en.htm Heath Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/health-u/index_fr.htm Thanks Public Health Food safety Consumer Affairs