"Diet and exercise" platform agreed
Joint declaration between the Federal Ministry of Consumers and the food industry on the establishment of a platform for society as a whole to promote nutritional education measures and increasing physical activity in children and adolescents to prevent obesity
In order to bundle the forces of all social actors involved and to organize concrete measures, a "Nutrition and Exercise" platform is to be set up, in which other partners from all relevant areas are to participate in addition to the BMVEL, the food industry and the sports sector.
The BMVEL, representing the federal government, and representatives of the food industry have agreed to continue the dialogue on this issue for society as a whole on this basis. The measures to be agreed there should serve to provide nutritional information and include initiatives that contribute to increased exercise and physical activity among children and young people. The decisive factor here is to dovetail appropriate initiatives and projects.
A working group - initially consisting of the BMVEL and the food industry - will immediately begin to work out the content and objectives of the "Nutrition and Exercise" platform, the possibilities for expanding it and proposals for its implementation.
In addition, the discussion about the food of the future and the international market opportunities for innovative products between business, science, society and politics will continue.
The representatives of the economy and the BMVEL agree that the general social problem of increasing obesity can lead to serious health impairments in children and young people and their families and accordingly causes an increasing burden on the healthcare system. It is therefore now a matter of joining forces in order to achieve the most effective and targeted possible prevention of overweight and obesity with a largely coordinated approach by all social actors. For this reason, activities and measures in the areas of family, day-care centres, school and leisure time should be networked as intensively as possible.
Excessive body weight is a major cause of health problems in children and adolescents in Germany today. The number of overweight children and young people in Germany has increased significantly in recent years. Children and young people from socially disadvantaged sections of the population are particularly affected. The development of overweight and its pathological form, obesity, is due to multicausal factors. The main cause of obesity is the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, caused by a lack of physical activity in relation to an excessive energy intake.
Knowledge of the connections between diet and exercise and of food and its preparation is insufficient in large parts of the population. In addition, the food in many day care centers and schools does not meet the requirements for a balanced diet.
Source: Berlin [bmvel]
