Warning bells for childhood obesity were sounded at an update of the Fruitness - enjoy it! campaign at Fruit Logistica last week.
Dr Margherita Caroli Caroli, president of the European Childhood Obesity Group and member of the scientific committee of the Fruitness - enjoy it! project, said that unless effective and widespread preventative strategies are put in place and consumption of fresh produce increases, obesity will continue to rise.
It is forecast that, by 2010, there will be 26.7 million overweight and obese children in Europe.
“This figure in itself is terrible,” Caroli said. “But we must also consider that children are now becoming obese at an increasingly younger age, and the complications associated with their condition are commensurably serious. In fact, we are frequently seeing the occurrence, even in young children, of hyperinsulinaemia, hypertension, high cholesterol and fatty liver disease.
“One contributing factor in the onset of these complications is a diet lacking in fibre and antioxidants, and rich in processed foods loaded with added fats and sugars. Not only is the daily intake of fruit and vegetables vital in preventing obesity and its complications, it can also play a role in treating such complications,” she added.
The three-year Fruitness - enjoy it! campaign has just announced a wider range of activities, aimed at children in five European target countries, including the UK.
The project, which is funded by the European Union, AGEA (Agricultural Payments Agency) and Italy-based Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO), hopes to counter junk food with the consumption of peaches and nectarines, pears and kiwifruit.
Caroli said that fruit consumption among European children is very limited, in all countries. “There are a number of reasons for this low intake, but all of them can be tackled, provided that we establish a co-operative network that links doctors, producers, distributors, economists and politicians,” she said.
“We have to make children understand and appreciate fruit, using all the nutritional educational strategies at our disposal. We need to set up promotional channels that target children, with the aim of sending out a healthy message and emphasising the enjoyable aspects of these foods.”
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