7 PROMOTION OF HEALTHY DIET AND PHYSICAL
EXERCISE
(27111)
15700/05
COM(05)637
| Green Paper: Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases.
|
| Legal base | —
|
| Document originated | 8 December 2005
|
| Deposited in Parliament |
19 December 2005 |
| Department | Health |
| Basis of consideration |
EM of 4 January 2006 |
| Previous Committee Report |
None |
| To be discussed in Council
| No date set |
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Not cleared; further information requested
|
Background
7.1 Article 152 of the Treaty establishing the European Community
provides that a high level of public health is to be ensured in
the definition and implementation of all Community policies and
activities. Action by the Community is to complement national
policies. Such action is to be directed to the improvement of
public health and the prevention of human diseases and includes
research and health education. The Article requires Member States
to coordinate their public health policies and programmes; the
Commission "may take any useful initiative to promote such
coordination".
The document
7.2 The Green Paper outlines the links between, on the one hand,
poor diet, lack of physical exercise and obesity and, on the other,
the incidence of serious illnesses, premature death, substantial
public expenditure on health care and lost economic production.
It refers to existing EU policies and organisations concerned
with the promotion of good nutrition and health lifestyles, such
as the Public Health Action Programme, the European Food Safety
Authority, the European Platform for Action on Diet, Physical
Activity and Health[21]
and the European Network on Nutrition and Physical Activity.[22]
7.3 The Green Paper suggests that preventing excessive
weight and obesity calls for the combination of action to promote
healthy lifestyles with action to deal with social and economic
inequalities and the built environment. This approach would cut
across a wide range of Community policies, including those on
agriculture, fisheries, education, sport, consumer protection,
research, the environment and so on. The Commission invites views
on:
"What are the concrete contributions which
Community policies, if any, should make towards the promotion
of healthy diets and physical activity, and towards creating environments
which make healthy choices easy choices?"[23]
7.4 The Green Paper has sections on:
- health across EU policies;
- consumer information, advertising
and marketing;
- consumer education;
- children and young people;
- food availability, physical activity and health
education at the work place;
- building the prevention and treatment of excessive
weight and obesity into health services;
- making the built environment promote physical
exercise and reduce obesity;
- socio-economic inequalities;
- fostering an integrated and comprehensive approach
towards the promotion of healthy diets and physical activity;
- nutrient intakes and the development of food-based
dietary guidelines; and
- cooperation beyond the European Union.
7.5 Each section concludes with a list of questions
on which the Commission invites views. For example, the section
on children and young people asks:
" What are good examples for improving
the nutritional value of school meals, and how can parents be
informed on how to improve the nutritional value of home meals?
Ÿ What
is good practice for the provision of physical activity in schools
on a regular basis?
Ÿ What
is good practice for fostering healthy dietary choices at schools,
especially as regards the excessive intake of energy-dense snacks
and sugar-sweetened soft drinks? and
Ÿ How
can the media, civil society and relevant sectors of industry
support health education efforts made by schools? What role can
public-private partnerships play in this regard?"[24]
7.6 The Commission invites responses to the Green
Paper by 15 March. It plans to publish a summary of the responses
by June. It may then make proposals for action.
The Government's view
7.7 The Minister for Public Health at the Department
of Health (Caroline Flint) tells us that the matters on which
the Green Paper seeks views are, to a large extent, issues covered:
- for England in the White Paper
of November 2004 on Choosing Health;
- for Scotland in "Improving Scotland's
Health: the Challenge" (2003) and announcements by Scottish
Ministers in November 2005 about anticipatory care and weight
management programmes in disadvantaged communities;
- for Wales in Health Challenge Wales (February
2004) and the Food and Fitness Action Plan for children and young
people; and
- in Northern Ireland's Investing for Health
Strategy (March 2002).
7.8 The Minister says that the UK's comments on the
Green Paper are likely "to reaffirm the actions being taken
forward in this country".
Conclusion
7.9 There appears to be a substantial overlap
between the issues discussed in the Green Paper and the policies
the Government and the devolved administrations are pursuing.
We question whether action by the Community on many of the matters
covered in the Green Paper would be consistent with the principle
of subsidiarity.
7.10 We recognise the value of pooling experience
and exchanging information about good practice. But we understand
that the World Health Organisation is involved in promoting international
cooperation on diet, physical activity and health. It is not clear
what value would be added by the intervention of the European
Community.
7.11 We should be grateful for the Minister's
comments on these points. We shall keep the Green Paper under
scrutiny pending her reply.
21 The Platform began work in March 2005. It brings
together representatives of the food, retail, catering and advertising
industries, consumer organisations and health NGOs. Its aim is
to act as a catalyst for voluntary action across the EU by the
private, public and voluntary sectors to halt and reverse trends
towards excessive weight and obesity. Back
22
The Network is comprised of experts nominated by Member States,
the World Health Organisation and consumer and health NGOs. The
Commission set up the Network in 2003 to give advice on the development
of Community activities to improve nutrition, reduce diet-related
diseases, promote physical exercise and fight excessive weight. Back
23
Green Paper, page 6, paragraph IV.3.2. Back
24
Green Paper, page 9, paragraph V.3.2. Back
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