Diet-related diseases account for 82 per cent of deaths in Malta necessitating a change in lifestyle, which is the main objective of the Food and Nutrition Policy and Action Plan launched today.

Unhealthy eating is responsible for a range of health problems in the country: from obesity to several chronic diseases such as hypertension, ischaemic heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.

“Unless we change our lifestyle we are going to lose this battle. This is the challenge,” Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said.

The main public health challenges are the high prevalence of obesity in adults, adolescents and children; the high intake of salt, sugar and fat, especially saturated fat, and the low intake of fruit and vegetables.

Obesity imposes a high financial burden on the country, costing some €25 million in health services annually. Doing nothing would raise that bill to €34 million by 2020.
Reducing Malta’s rate of obesity by 4.3 per cent until 2020 would save the country €3 million a year. A change in diet is necessary.

The Maltese consume far too much red meat and very little fish, and the country is second only to Mexico in the consumption of alcohol. But the Mediterranean diet has just been recognised by the United Nations as World Heritage - a fact raised by Zsuzsnna Jakab, European regional director of the World Health Organisation.

She praised the initiative taken with the new policy, saying it was based on clear indicators and focused on action. “Our individual actions can be greatly amplified by collective action,” she said.

Poor diets and sedentary lifestyles are contributing to an increase in obesity in most countries of the WHO European region, with lower socio-economic groups bearing the biggest burden.

WHO and the International Obesity Task Force have reiterated that the Maltese are among the heaviest within Europe as well as globally.