Dutch minister urges shops to sell healthier food

Utrecht (Netherlands), Mar 28: Supermarkets should start selling healthier food and play a bigger role in encouraging children to eat more fruit and vegetables, Dutch Agriculture Minister Gerda Verburg has said.

Verburg told a conference of Dutch food retailers and producers yesterday that supermarkets should provide clear information about the products' quality and origin on their labels to help consumers make good choices.

''There is a big gap between children and the origin of food.

Many children think that everything comes from the supermarket,'' she said.

Supermarkets should display fruit near the cash desks, rather than sweets, the minister said.

''All these candies at the cashiers. Try then as a parent to offer buying an apple. All these seductions contribute to unhealthy eating habits.'' The Dutch public health agency concluded in a research report last year that eating too little fish, fruit and vegetables was as bad for human health as smoking.

Some 75 per cent of the Netherlands' 16 million people eat less than the recommended level of fruit and vegetables, said the report, urging governments around the world to encourage a more healthy diet.

Reuters