"We have to change that," said the EU minister, chairing a meeting of the ministers in the southwest German town of Badenweiler.


Obesity not only led to other health problems but also came at a heavy cost to society, she commented.

"We have to emphasize preventive activity. The pace at which the number of overweight children and adults is rising is alarming," she said, noting that in Germany, the most populous EU nation, the number had doubled in the past 10 years.