Freshfel Europe has used the build up to European Obesity Day on 22 May to reiterate the value of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables as part of the fight against obesity as replacements for energy dense, nutrient-poor foods.
According to Freshfel, over half of the adult population is overweight or obese in the European Union, with figures rising to 60 per cent among 50-70 year-olds, with estimates suggesting that 3m European schoolchildren are obese.
Costs related to obesity-led ill health account for up to 6 per cent of total health sector bills in the EU, with wider additional economic and social costs including loss of productivity, absence at work and family costs.
'It is conventional wisdom that the root of the problem is the combination of increasing calorie intake coupled with decreasing levels of physical activity and a more sedentary way of life,' said Freshfel general delegate Philippe Binard. 'Encouraging better diets and more physical activity are therefore the most promising ways to ease the current situation.
'A diet rich in fruit and vegetables is the ideal start in preventing obesity,' Mr Binard added. 'Unfortunately, the consumption of fresh produce is at best stagnating and is in many member states well below the minimum World Health Organisation recommendation of eating at least 400g of fruit and vegetables a day.'
European Obesity Day aims to drive actions at a European level to address the obesity epidemic, with prevention preferable to treatment in the long-term, according to Freshfel food policy advisor Raquel Izquierdo de Santiago.
'Increasing scientific evidence indicates that fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy and balanced diet and their sufficient daily consumption could help prevent major diseases as well as help in the prevention of obesity and related disorders,' she explained.
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