EU deadline to tackle junk food ads to kids

In an interview with the "Financial Times", Markos Kyprianou, the EU’s newly inaugurated commissioner for health and consumer protection said the food industry was the fastest, and most effective, route to slicing into the obesity problem. “The signs from the industry are very encouraging, very positive. But if this doesn t produce satisfactory results, we will proceed to legislation,” told Kyprianou.
Concerns on obesity are based on mounting evidence that obesity is becoming an epidemic. It is estimated that up to 8 per cent of health budgets in the EU are spent tackling the epidemic. In recent years food and drink manufacturers operating in Europe have come under increasing pressure from consumer groups and government to review their policies on advertising of ‘junk foods’, those with high sugar, salt or fat content, to children.