The Plenary of the Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands (CES) approved this Wednesday, unanimously, the opinion on the Canary Islands Plan for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity, which includes, among other recommendations, the need to design and implement specific measures to help reduce the levels of this pathology in families on the islands with lower incomes.
The president of the Social Welfare Policy Commission of the CES, Sergio Melián, emphasizes the convenience of delving into these actions and explains that the advisory body issues this opinion at the request of the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The Canary Islands Executive document includes "in a broad and systematic way all the elements that allow us to affirm that we are facing one of the most serious current public health problems, although the Council wants to contribute some observations that may contribute to the success in the application and development of the Plan," says Sergio Melián.
Regarding the specific recommendations, the opinion of the CES contemplates that it is essential to increase the nutritional quality of school menus, not only through greater economic expenditure, but also through the strengthening of inspection and control of food, as well as the elaboration procedures.
Promoting training actions for all the agents involved, in addition to carrying out specific actions to improve the prevention of overweight in the child population, complete the recommendations section of this opinion.
Finally, Sergio Melián highlights that "the Plan for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity in the Canary Islands is the result of the extensive work of a multidisciplinary team, made up of highly qualified professionals with extensive experience." "For this reason, they have been able to capture the need to address this problem in the islands as soon as possible," he adds.
Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands
The Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands is a collegiate body whose purpose is to make effective the participation of social agents in the public policies of the Government of the Canary Islands. It is made up of consumer organizations, experts appointed by the Government, trade union organizations, business organizations and Chambers of Commerce.
Among the functions of the CES are to prepare mandatory reports and opinions on economic, social and labor matters.
