SAFE, an evaluator of the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity (2014-2020)

10 January 2025

SAFE is a co-evaluator of the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity (2014-2020), now concluded and currently being reviewed by the European Commission to define the next steps. The EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity aimed to support Member States’ efforts to halt obesity in children and young people. SAFE was one of the participants in the final evaluation of the Action Plan, along with Open Evidence and PwC.

Childhood and adolescent obesity rates across the globe have been growing and Europe is no exception. The shifts in diet towards more processed and higher in fat, sugar and salt foods along with a decrease in levels of regular physical activity and an environment dominated by aggressively marketed unhealthy food options, all have a part to play. 

The Action Plan addressed eight key areas for action: 1) Support a healthy start in life; 2) Promote healthier environments, especially in schools and pre-schools; 3) Make the healthy option the easier option; 4) Restrict marketing and advertising to children; 5) Inform and empower families; 6) Encourage physical activity; 7) Monitor and evaluate; 8) Increase research. 

SAFE conducts food trainings in schools since 2017, where pupils are taught how to identify foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fat, and are given tips to help them shift towards healthier diets, under the European Commission’s Food4Inclusion programme and, previously, the TAO (Tackling Adolescent Obesity) project. Some 5,000 children have taken part in them by the end of 2024.