ANP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS••Edited
The Cabinet wants to reduce advertising of unhealthy food aimed at children. Secretary of State Van Ooijen introduces a law to combat this “marketing of children”. According to him, so far there has been too little agreements with companies on a voluntary basis.
He wants, for example, that in the future it will no longer be possible to put images of Disney characters on bars of chocolate or unhealthy sweets.
The secretary of state also wants to make it easier for municipalities to ban fast food chains from certain locations. This includes proximity to schools or neighborhoods with a disproportionately large offering of fast food. “Municipalities can now only control spatial planning and, for example, determine whether a business is open or not, but soon they will also be able to choose the food offer.”
Van Ooijen announced earlier this year it has already indicated that it would chart legal options for these measures. He stresses that people should be able to decide for themselves what to eat and drink. ‘But that free choice is under enormous pressure due to clever marketing and an ever-growing array of fast food around us. The government wants to counterbalance this.”
Half of adults are overweight
The Secretary of State is concerned about the large number of overweight people. According to him, half of adults are overweight and one in six children are overweight (one in three in some districts).
The Cabinet wants to encourage healthy eating, sport and exercise in all ways. For example, there will be more ‘healthy school canteens’, work is underway to improve walking and cycling routes to schools and more cooperation between schools and sports clubs. The government also wants to support obese people and help them live healthier lives.
