Committed to consumers leading a healthy life

16 May 2018
by eub2 -- last modified 16 May 2018

Unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity play a significant role in European consumers’ health and well-being. In 2014, half of EU adults (52 %) were considered overweight, and 1 in 6 clinically obese.

Food retailers and wholesalers are in daily contact with millions of customers. They are therefore ideally placed, and are committed to helping consumers make informed choices as part of healthier living, most effectively in coordination with national and EU initiatives. This is the main message at an event today marking the launch of a EuroCommerce report Retail and Wholesale – working for a healthy lifestyle.

The report provides a snapshot of a wide range of initiatives by EuroCommerce members to support a better diet and a healthier lifestyle, both on their own, and in partnership with public and private organisations. EuroCommerce Director-General Christian Verschueren, introducing the event, said:

"Retailers and wholesalers can help consumers make healthy choices suited to their personal lifestyles and specific preferences, and are doing so by providing a wide range of products to choose from, through better nutrition labelling, consumer information, and also by reformulating products to reduce salt, sugar and fat. But this needs the engagement of everyone: public authorities, manufacturers – and the consumer: the trend of growing obesity can only be reversed if individuals are encouraged to adopt more active lifestyles."

The event was hosted by British MEP Julie Girling, who has been very active in the area of food and nutrition: "I welcome the involvement of the retail and wholesale sector in the fight against obesity. Improving EU consumers' diets and lifestyle requires a multi-faceted approach. Both public authorities and industry have an important role to play in consumer education to efficiently tackle this serious, and growing, problem for all our citizens."

EuroCommerce is the voice for six million retail, wholesale, and other trading companies. Its members include national commerce federations in 31 countries, Europe's 27 leading retail and wholesale companies, and federations representing specific sectors of commerce.

EuroCommerce