Conference on Food Labelling

25 April 2024

Queen Mathilde attended the scientific symposium "Experiences and perspectives on front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems" in Brussels.

This meeting was hosted by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and brought together high-level experts, policymakers and researchers from all over Europe. 

"A recent worldwide study published in The Lancet estimates that 879 million adults and 159 million children and teenagers are now obese. That comes to 12% of the world’s population. If current trends continue, by 2035 one in two people will be overweight or obese.

The situation of children and young people is particularly worrying. According to the WHO-Europe’s latest study, 29% of children aged seven to nine are overweight or obese, with a higher prevalence among boys than girls."

"In Belgium, excess weight affects 19% of children and young people, with even higher levels in those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds.""

They discussed specific labelling strategies to get consumers to make balanced food choices.