The second meeting of DG SANCO’s Roundtable on obesity was held on 29 October 2004 and focused on sharing best practice on food labelling, marketing and product development.
Chaired by SANCO Director Robert Madelin, the meeting was a follow-up to the first Roundtable meeting on obesity organised in July 2004. Participants included NGOs, the WHO, food industry and consumer groups. The first meeting outlined the areas for discussion as regulation, data, communication and information, food composition. The stated aim of the Roundtable process is the formulation of headline objectives or strategic goals at the EU level in such a way that the objectives were usable as targets for activity by individual organisations and economic operators, while leaving space for all concerned at local level to refine the ways in which they sought to meet those objectives.
On labelling the roundtable concluded that scientific input was required and that the European Food Safety Agency should be included in the discussion. There was also a recognition that EU nutrition labelling legislation should reflect the need to help consumers make healthy diet choices. On children the roundtable felt that it was important to have consistent messages delivered by a range of stakeholders. Two examples of successful local initiatives were shared and there should be initiatives to improve understanding of food labelling (literacy) and physical exercise. On products there was a call for more attention to portion size and a wider range of products that are low in sugar, salt and fat.
Agenda of the Roundtable, 29 October 2004.
