Founding Congress on September 29 in Berlin

Obesity in children is an increasing problem in Germany and many other western countries. The causes are manifold. However, many experts see an imbalance between nutrition and physical activity as essential. The individual and social consequences of this development are foreseeable. A growing number of overweight children means increased risk of illness, reduced productivity and rising healthcare costs.

The problem of obesity in children has been known for a long time and is the subject of scientific research. The decisive starting point for problem solving is seen in prevention. After all, children's nutritional and physical activity behavior is decisively shaped in the first months and years of life. In Germany, various actors have already taken up the issue and taken initial measures. The "Nutrition and Exercise Platform" is intended to create a sustainable instrument to support and network the work of existing initiatives and to initiate new activities. The aim of the platform is to put the topic of "nutrition and exercise" on a broad social basis.

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BSE situation further improved

According to the European Commission, the BSE situation has improved significantly compared to the previous year due to the measures taken in the past. This emerges from a comprehensive report by the Commission on the implementation of the BSE tests. In 2003, a total of 15 cattle were tested for BSE in the EU-10.041.295, including around 1,3 million risk animals, 8,7 million healthy animals and 2,6 million passive surveillance animals. Nearly 25.000 animals were also slaughtered in culling linked to the occurrence of a primary case. The number of positive BSE cases in the EU-15 fell from 2.131 in the previous year to 1.364 animals, according to the German Farmers' Association (DBV).

In the EU-15, there were only 10.000 cases of BSE per 1,36 cattle tested. The year before it was 2,0 and two years ago 2,5 BSE animals. In 2003, this figure was still highest in the United Kingdom. However, at 13,33, it was also significantly lower here than in the previous year with 28,5 sick animals. In Germany, the ratio improved from 0,3 in the previous year to 0,27. No BSE cases were reported in Greece, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Sweden, the Baltic States, Hungary, Cyprus and Malta in 2003. However, the Commission points out that the data must be interpreted cautiously in order to compare them between countries, as there are differences in the national investigation programmes.

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A man posing as a food inspector was out and about in Rostock and gained unauthorized access to restaurants in particular. He identified himself there with a green ID card bearing the federal eagle and immediately demanded money, pointing out the deficiencies found. That is why the veterinary and food control office of the city of Rostock warns above all restaurant and snack bar operators.

The food inspectors and official veterinarians authorized for official food control have a valid ID card. The food inspectors and official veterinarians of the Hanseatic City of Rostock never demand money on site if defects are found. This is done in writing as part of administrative offense proceedings.

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Fewer pigs counted

In the April livestock census in the Netherlands this year, only 10,75 million pigs were counted, which was 3,8 percent fewer than at the same time last year. The number of sows fell within a year by 5,9 percent to 1,06 million animals, including 684.000 pregnant sows. The proportion of gilts essential for further production fell by 6,8 percent to 164.000 animals.

The Dutch export of piglets and animals for slaughter has been declining significantly for some time. Experts assume that piglet exports will decrease by around 13 percent in the current calendar year. Exports of slaughter pigs are expected to fall by nine to ten percent.

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Eggs in the east increased from barn and free range

According to the Federal Statistical Office, there were 2003 laying hen farms in Germany in December 1.209, which together had more than 38 million places for laying hens. The average farm size is given as 31.000 hens. Looking at the types of housing, caging accounted for almost 81 percent, compared to around 84 percent the year before. The proportion of free-range housing rose by a good one percentage point to around ten percent of the places. In 2003 there were a good nine percent of barn stalls, after seven percent in 2002.

However, the forms of husbandry differ from one federal state to the next: most of the laying hens are housed in cages in all but one of the federal states. In Lower Saxony, where by far the most laying hens are kept nationwide, the number of caged hens reached 89 percent, in Saxony as the second most important region it was 90 percent. Only in the comparatively small production state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania do alternative forms of husbandry dominate with 64 percent. In the other federal states, the range extends from 51 percent in cage farming in Saxony-Anhalt to 87 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Livestock and Meat

Demand for beef at the wholesale markets was quiet in the penultimate week of July. Nevertheless, the slaughterhouses had to pay higher producer prices for both young bulls and female animals in order to get enough cattle for slaughter. The national average for young bulls in the meat trading class R3 was 2,54 euros per kilogram slaughter weight, three cents more than in the previous week and 24 cents more than a year ago. For slaughter cows, the payout prices rose by two cents compared to the previous week to EUR 2,02 per kilogram of slaughter weight and were 25 cents per kilogram above the previous year's price. When it came to marketing beef domestically, cuts from the front batches for minced meat production and prime cuts were easy to market, but leg meat was not one of the items that were particularly in demand. Precious parts in particular could be placed well abroad. Business with Russia continued to run steadily, smooth marketing was reported from the livestock trade.

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Different time use in women and men

How do Europeans divide their time between the ages of 20 and 74? How much more time do women work in the home than men? What do women and men do in their free time? A publication [1] issued today by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, aims to compare the daily lives of men and women aged 20-74 in nine EU Member States (Belgium, Germany, Estonia, France, Hungary, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom) and Norway. The data comes from the national time use surveys conducted between 1998 and 2002 [2]. The publication contains statistical information on the distribution of employment and household activities between men and women, as well as on the respective time spent on education, cultural activities and other areas of life (voluntary work, care, travel, leisure, etc.). Differences between employed women and men

The tables below show the average time required [3] per day broken down by activity [4]. The average time expenditure is a mean value for all employed persons for the entire year (working and weekend days as well as vacation times). For this reason, the time required for paid work is considerably less than a normal working day. Looking at all days of the year, employed men spent an average of between 5 and 5½ hours in gainful employment and education per day and employed women between 4 and 4½ hours.

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The absolute classic in the frozen range is the pizza. With a total increase in consumption of 4,6 percent, the global product is one of the most popular frozen dishes. According to the German Frozen Food Institute (dti) in Cologne, a total of over 2003 tons were sold in 185.350 - almost twice as much as ten years earlier. Every German therefore consumed an average of 2,3 kilograms of frozen pizza.

The lion's share went to the grocery trade, including home delivery and discount stores. Private consumers bought almost 2003 tons of frozen pizzas in 174.000. That was 4,8 percent more than in the previous year. In the individual areas of the out-of-home market, the volume consumption was a good 11.430 tons, an increase of two percent.

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Nestlé freezer service to investors

Nestlé Deutschland AG will sell Eismann Tiefkuehl Heimservice GmbH & Co. KG, based in Mettmann, to a group of investors led by ECM Equity Capital Management GmbH, Frankfurt. The agreement is subject to the approval of the responsible antitrust authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose further details of the transaction.

Nestlé took over Eismann in 2001 as part of the Schöller acquisition. "With ECM, we have found a new owner who is willing to further develop Eismann's direct sales business and give it new perspectives," said Nestlé Deutschland AG. Nestlé is thus continuing to focus on products with high added value and the further development of its strong brands.

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Requirements for food from a Muslim point of view

Of the approximately 1,2 billion Muslims worldwide, more than three million live in Germany, so that one can no longer speak of an insignificant minority in this country. Devout Muslims follow the rules of Islam in their everyday life and way of life, in which the concept of what is permitted and what is forbidden is a central structure. From a Muslim point of view, food is either "halal" (Arabic for "permitted") or "haram", ie not in accordance with Islamic regulations. However, due to the diverse processes involved in production, storage and preparation and the increasing knowledge of the composition of food, the classification is not always that simple.

Plant-derived foods are generally allowed, with the exception of intoxicating or toxic products. In addition, the Koran, the holy book of Islam, names four main groups of forbidden foods: carrion (all animals that have died a natural death), flowing or curdled blood, pigs and slaughtered animals that are consecrated to others as God. Prohibited additives can contaminate and make "haram" permitted foods. For this it is sufficient e.g. B. that they are stored together insufficiently packaged.

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The Hohenstein quality label helps when choosing work clothing

Visual aspects, easy care and a long service life are generally considered to be the most important evaluation criteria when selecting work clothing. On the other hand, the assessment of the physiological comfort of the garments still receives too little attention. Garments with optimized wearing comfort demonstrably improve the performance of the wearer. What is common in sports and leisure should therefore also be a matter of course for clothing for everyday work: textile materials that support the physiological processes in the body and here in particular the temperature regulation depending on the ambient climate and the activity.

It is important to note that the wearing comfort of clothing is by no means a subjective variable, but can be measured and evaluated objectively. In this context, the scientists at the international research center Hohensteiner Institute have developed the so-called wearing comfort rating. This ranges from 1 "very good" to 6 "unsatisfactory" and is calculated based on a series of measured values ​​that are determined in the clothing physiology laboratory. The comfort rating covers both the thermophysiological properties of a textile material, e.g. B. thermal insulation, breathability and moisture management, as well as the skin-sensory aspects of comfort, ie whether the textiles are perceived as pleasantly soft and cuddly or, in contrast, as unpleasantly scratchy or sticking to sweaty skin. The Hohenstein experts have developed objective measuring methods for all of these properties of textiles, the results of which are incorporated into the calculation of the comfort rating.

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