Fighting the Battle of the Bulge at a Tender Age

Like much of the rich industrialized world, Germany is watching its children grow increasingly fat. Kids' tendencies to snack on chocolate bars during school breaks, hang out in fast-food restaurants after school and chomp on chips and candies while watching television or the computer screen has led to a dramatic increase in childhood obesity.

The problem has gained new urgency in light of statistics that show a dramatic jump in the number of overweight children in Germany. According to a new study by the German Society for Nutrition, every fourth to fifth German child is considered too heavy for his age and size by the time he or she starts school. When compared to statistics from 25 years ago, the number of "fat" children in the 5-7 age group has more than doubled. Among ten year olds, the number has quadrupled. Doctors warn that obesity in children and youth raises the risks of developing diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems later in life.

Fat kids today = more obese, ill adults tomorrow

Last month, the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv) and the Stiftung Warentest, an organization which carries out comparison surveys of products and services, used the occasion of Berlin's international agricultural fair, the Green Week, to urge political leaders and the food industry to recognize the problem of obesity among children and to make countering it a priority.

Stiftung Warentest and vzbv described the large numbers of overweight children as one of the most important and urgent problems facing nutrition policies in Germany today.

"The affected children often suffer the psychological and physical consequences of faulty nutrition for a lifetime. As a result, the health system must bear costs that reach into the billions," vzbz Chairperson Edda Müller said. "These costs will dramatically rise in the near future because an increasing number of overweight children today means more obese and ill adults tomorrow."

Three-pronged approach to fighting fat

Her message has now reached the ears of some top German politicians. In an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, Renate Künast, consumer protection minister and member of the Green party, acknowledged what nutritionists have been arguing for years.

"An increasing number of children are too fat," she said. "Among the 10-year-olds, about 40 percent are massively overweight."

Künast (photo) has now announced a three-point program to fight the fat -- in the future one warm, nutritious meal will be offered at those schools which offer student lunches; a new classroom subject, Nutrition and Consumer Protection, will be introduced; and the food industry will be asked to voluntarily lower the fat content in products aimed at children and youth.

The consumer protection minister emphasized it was important that schools teach children about food and nutrition as well as cooking. Künast said her ministry would help the schools to develop and put together the necessary teaching material for the lessons.

"Sensible" proposals but difficult to implement?

Dr. Mathilde Kersting of the Research Institute for Child Nutrition said the minister’s proposals are "sensible." In an interview with DW-WORLD, she said the state of North-Rhine Westphalia already did have certain secondary schools where warm meals were offered at noon.

But she admitted that the situation was far from ideal.

"I have my doubts about getting extra personnel and finding the financial resources for them. It’ll be too expensive," she said with reference to the proposal to set up new school kitchens. Because of budget shortfalls, German schools are currently struggling with just the necessities.

Still, Kersting welcomed the minister’s idea of introducing a nutritional awareness course at schools. "It’s long overdue. Apart from a few primary schools which deal with the topic, the subject is largely ignored in German schools," she said.

Voluntarily Lean?

The proposal to ask the food industry to voluntarily lower the fat content in products for children could turn out to be the trickiest issue in Künast's battle against the bulge.

"We’ve been talking to the industry about if and how it would be possible to produce products for children such as candies and chips with a lowered fat content of 5 to 10 percent," the consumer protection minister said.

A spokeswoman from Nestlé Germany in Munich confirmed that the company was involved in talks with the ministry at the national as well as European level about possible ways to lower fat content in snacks.

However she declined to comment on how Nestlé, one of the world's largest producers of chocolate and milk products, viewed the proposed voluntary guidelines.