mr president i would like to congratulate the rapporteur this report is very timely and deserves the full attention of policymakers
the facts on obesity are startling and have already been quoted
yesterday at a major conference in dublin a nutrition expert claimed that ireland was on the cusp of an obesity crisis and indeed a similar situation pertains across europe
i want to briefly mention just one issue self-regulation versus legislation
we have a voluntary code for the advertising of food of poor nutritional value to children but there is a large question mark over whether this is working or not
according to the irish heart alliance this voluntary code is not effective
i believe we need to monitor it very carefully and take immediate action if necessary
mr bushill-matthews mentioned personal responsibility
that is fine at one level but we need clear understandable food labelling colour coding is a positive step
we live in a world where we consume greater and greater amounts of processed foods
indeed certain eu policies promote this the lisbon agenda more people at work less time for food preparation
i fully support the lisbon agenda but alongside that we as eu policymakers have a duty to ensure that food manufacturers make it very clear what is contained in the processed foods they manufacture
