The lady with the sweets

Ah, Roselyne Bachelot is such a nice lady. The minister of health doesn’t follow the usual pattern of iron-fisted politics clothed in a velvet glove. Instead she prefers the softly-softly approach.

So when she outlined plans on Monday to help fight child obesity, it came across not so much as draconian policy proposals but more like a friendly push in the right direction.

Bachelot wants television channels to drop advertising for a range of products during children’s programming. She has targeted of course food and drink high in sugar and fat content, but has given networks and advertisers the initial chance for self-regulation.

In other words they are to work out for themselves what should and shouldn’t appear in commercials, and Bachelot will retain the option of banning certain products completely if she’s not happy with the outcome.

She has set a deadline for April 1.

It’s what is being referred to in the French media as the “light” alternative, with Bachelot hoping that her call will be heard and heeded and that she won’t need to draw up official legislation.

A ban on telly advertising is just part of the multi-pronged approach Bachelot is taking to cut down on child obesity.

She also wants to withdraw sweets from check outs in supermarkets and has called for a meeting at the end of this month to determine how such a move should be implemented.

Also in the pipeline is a Gallic-style Food Quality Agency to monitor a complete overhaul of what’s on school menus with new dietary and nutrition plans due to come into effect at the beginning of the next academic year in September.

For some here in France it’s not quite the nanny state gone mad, but it’s fast approaching. There’s been a fair amount of debate on national radio about how far government can legislate such social change or whether it should be left to parents to be responsible for their children’s eating habits.

Others, such as the pressure group “Obesity – protect our children” welcome Bachelot’s proposals and want even more legislation as proof that there is a real political will to fight the flab.

It might seem strange that in a country with a terrific reputation for good food and haute cuisine that such a problem should exist. But it does.

The bottom line is that in France, as in many other countries, there has been a marked increase in the number of overweight children. Research shows that 18 per cent of 3-17 year-olds weigh too much – that’s around two million children - with 3.5 per cent defined as clinically obese. That’s up from 14.5 per cent and 3 per cent respectively in just two years.

And if the figures are correct it’s a problem that lasts well into later years with more than two thirds of overweight children remaining so as adults and life expectancy reduced by 13 years.