(version EN FR IT)
Brussels, 15 march 2005

EURO COOP - the European Community of Consumer Co-operatives - fully supports the new 'Diet, Physical Activity and Health - A European Platform for Action' launched today by the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou.

EURO COOP agrees that the current obesity epidemic can only be successfully overcome by the active co-operation of the widest possible range of stakeholders. EURO COOP believes that the strength of the Platform lies in its grouping together of key stakeholders at European level and in encouraging them to engage in actions to reverse the current obesity epidemic.

EURO COOP sees the Platform as a complementary initiative to the legislative framework that the EU is developing in the areas of nutrition, health and consumer protection. The proposed EU regulations on nutritional claims and fortified foods, together with the planned revision of the Nutritional Labelling Directive, will considerably advance the level of consumer protection across Europe and therefore must be brought forward. Once they are adopted, consumers will enjoy full and correct nutritional information about the foods they eat and they will therefore be able to make better-informed and healthier eating choices.

EURO COOP also believes it is important for the EU to co-ordinate the work of the Platform on the one hand, and the 'Nutrition and Physical Activity Network' (which groups Member States experts under the lead of the European Commission) on the other hand. In order to avoid overlap and duplication of the tasks of these two forums, it should be clarified that the role of the Network is to assist the EU in developing a comprehensive strategy on nutrition and health.

EURO COOP is a founding member of the Platform and at the signing ceremony was represented by its President, Mr Giuseppe Fabretti.

Today he said "Obesity has become one of the greatest threats to the health and well-being of Europeans today. Consumer co-operatives across Europe take this threat seriously. They therefore already devote resources to encouraging consumers towards healthier dietary habits: many consumer co-operatives have been carrying-out successful initiatives at national and local level for decades, ranging from consumer education campaigns, responsible advertising and marketing practices, to the formulation of healthy food products". He concluded by saying "Consumer co-operatives are committed to continuing this trend in the context of the European Platform in order to ensure a high common level of consumer health across Europe".

EURO COOP is the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives. Its Secretariat is based in Brussels. Its members are the national organisations of consumer cooperatives in 17 European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local and regional cooperatives, the members of which amount to more than 22 million consumers across Europe.