International

The SP's Euro-MPs have expressed their support for the main points of the Parliamentary report on the prevention of obesity to be debated in today's European Parliament plenary session (the 'Ries Report'). Together with colleagues in the United Left Group/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), they firmly believe that the European public should have the right to clear and honest information concerning every aspect of the food which they consume.

Explaining the SP's position on the report's proposals, Kartika Liotard, the SP Member who sits on the European Parliamentary Committee on Public Health, said "Obesity is a growing problem in the western world. I support in particular the proposals to address the kind of advertising which is aimed at children. The member states and the European Commission bear an important responsibility in this matter. I don't have much faith in self-regulation as a means of solving the problem. "

Although Liotard applauds in principle the idea of encouraging people to eat healthy food, she stresses her view that "governments and NGOs should not give disproportionate priority to the fight against obesity when it comes to giving advice, but should also pay attention to the safety of products and of production methods. It would not for example be a good idea to encourage the use of artificial sweeteners when scientific studies have shown that it is unclear whether they in reality help people to lose weight or that they present no problems for the health of the public. The most important point is that the consumer has available honest information about what they are eating."