The Green Party is demanding an EU-wide ban on the advertising of junk food to children to counter the rise in the incidence of obesity and diabetes.
The party will launch a campaign on the issue at a conference in Dublin tomorrow, organised in conjunction with the European Green Party.
The Food Revolution campaign will be launched by the president of the European Greens, Mr Dany Cohn Bendit MEP. The conference in Dublin Castle, called "Join The Food Revolution", will discuss the causes of food scares such as BSE, salmonella and toxic residues in farmed salmon, as well as looking at ways to reduce obesity levels.
"Obesity in Ireland is our fastest growing health problem, particularly among children," Dublin MEP Ms Patricia McKenna said yesterday. Children were now the targets of saturation marketing by the junk food industry, she said.
She said EU agriculture ministers would decide at a meeting on April 26th and 27th whether to allow the sale of genetically modified food in Europe. The Green Party wanted Ireland to be declared a "GM free zone", she said.
Speakers at the conference will include film director Mr Bob Quinn, an adviser to the German government on GM food, Mr Dan Leskien, and Belgium's regional minister for health and youth, Ms Nicole Marechal. They will discuss plans to tackle obesity, the future of farming, organic growers, and food safety.
At the conference the Greens will launch a 10-point plan for food quality, which aims to promote healthy food production and healthy eating. The plan, part of the European Greens' election strategy, includes measures to discourage intensive farming, promote more environmentally friendly farming practices and increase consumer confidence.