10/05/2005
CIAA baseline activities report Diet, Physical Activity and Health
CIAA supports the Commission’s initiative to establish a European Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health as a forum for stakeholders to share best practice and develop action plans to tackle the rise of diet- and physical activity related health problems.

There is a broad consensus that causes of obesity and its related diseases are multifactorial (ranging from genetic predisposition to diet, sedentary lifestyles, socioeconomic factors, etc).

To be successful in improving public health, public policy interventions must therefore be both evidence-based and scientifically sound, but also involve all relevant stakeholders and public authorities in a coordinated, multi-pronged approach.

The food and drink industries have a long history of collaboration with public authorities in the promotion of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, as individual companies and through their associations. There are already many examples of initiatives from food companies and national and sectoral food and drink industry federations to promote good nutrition, physical activity and health. A representative sample of such partnerships and initiatives is presented in this report.

CIAA recognizes the current urgency of the obesity problem and welcomes the Commission’s idea to convene an EU Platform that is open to a wide spectrum of stakeholders willing to devise possible solutions across the board: tackling the issue will require multiple strategies and the sustained efforts of many sectors.

As the umbrella representative body for a very large and diverse industry, the role of CIAA is above all in coordination: the implementation of concrete initiatives in the field of healthy lifestyles in the framework of the EU Platform will, for the most part, be the task of national food and drink industry federations and companies.

For its part, CIAA is prepared to step up its activities in the field of diet, physical activity and health on behalf of its members, engage in constructive discussions with stakeholders within the EU Platform and make a positive contribution.