Obesity must be countered through global regulation

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva described the Conference - nicknamed ICN2 - as “the beginning of our renewed effort,” and called for bold actions to ensure adequate nutrition for all. "The political commitments made at ICN2 – the first to include solutions that will address malnutrition in all its forms, from hunger to obesity – are landmark," said Oleg Chestnov, WHO.

The Nordic Council of Ministers co-chaired a very well attended side event at the ICN2 tackling the challenge of obesity. The event was moderated by Professor Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London's Centre for Food Policy.

(See video interview with Professor Lang on a Nordic Way to a sustainable diet).

Held in cooperation with Brazil, Germany and the WHO European Action Network, the event aimed at forging new networks and sharing new solutions on a growing global problem.

Under the headline “Better Nutrition-Better Lives”, the joint FAO/WHO conference overall aimed at securing a new global framework to address the nutrition problems of the 21st century.

Although much focus was given to fundamental problem of world hunger, the issue of obesity is growing to be an equally challenging problem. According to the Wall Street Journal, obesity has a global price tag of 2 trillion $ annually and the cost is rising.

A holistic approach

Brazil was presented as a compelling case at the obesity side event, dragging millions out of poverty and hunger. Unfortunately, a side effect has been a huge increase in overweight and obesity, a challenge now taken up by the government. The Brazilian budget for food and nutrition security has increased dramatically the last few years, but obesity and overweight is increasing too.

- Food advertising, food prices and availability of healthy food remain challenges in Brazil, so the fight against obesity must engage the entire population via cross sectorial strategies ensuring healthy food, stated Brazilian Vice Minister for Social Development de Campos

The German presentation highlighted the need to work bottom-up and involve civil society, knowing your target group, while the Nordic Council of Ministers focused on the benefits of a joint regional effort.

- A holistic and evidence based approach is what we need and that is what the Nordic countries have demonstrated through the work with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations and the whole chain from government strategy to consumer labeling, said Professor Pekka Puska in his presentation, referring to a new tool box from the Nordic Council of Ministers: www.nordicnutrition.org

(See video interview with Professor Pekka Puska on regional cooperation)

Finally issues like advertisements aimed at children by the European WHO-network as well the need to couple culture and habits with public policy making were addressed by the panel and the audience alike.

Pope spoke strongly

Pope Francis addressed the ICN2 and in line with many participants at the obesity side event, he spoke strongly against the bad effects of unregulated market forces.

- The fight against hunger & malnutrition is too often handicapped by a preoccupation with markets and profit, said the Pope in his speech to the plenary at FAO.

The follow up to ICN2 will be based on the Rome Declaration on Nutrition, passed at the conference.

The Declaration outlines ten commitments on items such as eradicating hunger and preventing all forms of malnutrition; reversing rising trends in overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs); enhancing sustainable food systems by developing coherent public policies from production to consumption; empowering people to make informed food choices; and raising the profile of nutrition (cited from IISD)

The main aim of the ICN2 was to develop nutrition-related targets and accountability mechanisms as well as committing ressources to promote nutrition-enhancing foodsystems worldwide – see more at www.fao.org/icn2