AreaEuropean Union

Commodity GroupOilseeds, oils and meals

CommodityOils/fats

Date01/10/2019

Policy CategoryOther

Policy InstrumentFood standards/health policies

DescriptionReleased a directive requiring member states to promote initiatives aimed at limiting children\'s exposure to advertisements for foods and beverages that are high in salt, sugar, saturated fats and transfatty acids.

NotesEUROPEAN UNION – health policies: According to a study released by the European Commission, food products sold on the EU market contain too much sugar, fat, salt and too little fibre. The authors, who assessed packaged foods against nutrition standards developed by European public and private sector organizations, maintain that the marketing of foods abounding in saturated fat, sugar and salt counters efforts to promote healthy eating habits and can lead to poor diets, especially in children. They called for a comprehensive reformulation and innovation of food products – including upper limits for salt, fat and sugar – as a key strategy to improve the nutrient balance of the food supply. To address these issues, the Commission released a directive requiring member states to foster the use of co- and self-regulation that limits children\'s exposure to advertisements for foods and beverages that are high in salt, sugar, saturated fats and trans-fatty acids or otherwise disregard nutritional guidelines.