JUNK food advertising aimed at children should be outlawed by the EU to tackle spiralling levels of childhood obesity and food poverty, London Euro-MP Jean Lambert told a Dublin conference launching a Europe-wide food safety campaign this week.
"National bans such as those being discussed in Ireland and the UK would be largely irrelevant in this day of satellite and digital broadcasting, when frontiers have lost their meaning to broadcasters and foreign channels can so easily escape national regulation," the Green MEP told the launch of the European Green Group's of Euro-MPs Food Safety Campaign at Dublin Castle.
"We have a specific responsibility towards children," Mrs Lambert added.
"They don't have free choice and they don't have the necessary information or understanding to make informed choices - advertising at children is not generally about imparting information but encouraging unhealthy choices based on the lack of it."
Mrs Lambert called for Europe-wide regulation of advertising as well as food labelling - and warned failure to embark on a food revolution now would lead to increases in diabetes and osteoporosis and a growing gulf between the affluent and poor.
"There is a strong link between poverty and obesity - and we need a food revolution to confront poverty, corporate control of food choices and the distortions of subsides and the global trade of produce if we are to break this link," she said.
"We mustn't blame obesity on the victims, especially children, or concentrate on weight and body shape to the exclusion of fitness and health. The responsibility for tackling obesity and poor diet extends to the food industry and those with the power to curb its excesses in government at all levels. Promoting health isn't nanny state-ism - it's central to what government should be all about."
Her comments came as the Green Group of MEPs launched its campaign for fairer, safer food at a Dublin Castle conference. Other speakers included French and Irish Green Party MEPs Dany Cohn-Bendit and Patricia McKenna.
The campaign centres on the message that food is political and that the Greens across Europe will offer an integrated approach to GM, organic agriculture, factory farming, subsidies, international food transport, fair trade and animal rights.
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to Editors
For more information on the Greens' Food Campaign, visit www.eat-better.org
Copies of Mrs Lambert's speech are available on request.
For more information please contact Ben or Katy on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk