French cracking down on junk food ads

Warning labels tell citizens to stop snacking and start exercising
Associated Press

PARIS - Less fat, less sugar, less salt: Even the mostly svelte French are cracking down.

Beginning Thursday, the government ordered food ads to carry cautions telling the French to stop snacking, exercise and eat more fruits and vegetables.

With processed snacks and fast food encroaching on France’s tables and culinary traditions, health officials fear the nation’s youth face a growing risk of obesity.

This from a nation where just slightly more than 9 percent of the 63.4 million citizens are obese and fewer than a third are overweight, according to government figures. In the United States, by comparison, one-third of adults are obese, about two-thirds are overweight. Several Mediterranean and Eastern European countries have similar statistics. See: French cracking down on junk food ads