Fight against obesity in children, Paolo Barilla: "Tax soft drinks? Useless"

In Italy, we are called to face an emergency that we had not planned: obesity in children. According to WHO data, more than 21% of children ages 6 to 10 are at risk, accounting for between 42% and 38% of overweight girls. Other researches provide even worse figures. Ring the alarm this time for not a health organization, but an industrialist, Paolo Barilla, vice president of the family group. Which explains: We are facing a lifestyle change. We, the Italians of the Mediterranean diet, were the depositories of a virtuous model. Today, we are late.

Do you say it because you worry about the decline in pasta consumption?
The consumption of pasta, at the base of the Mediterranean diet, has been declining for several years but I say no and I do it honestly. Our concerns are broader and the international forum we are organizing today in Milan demonstrates this well. The protagonists will be independent personalities from around the world who will question about the future of the planet, not about the business turnover of the company.

Is the increase in obesity another perverse fruit of the Great Depression?
No, especially a change in the choices of people and producers. When I was a kid, we played football at home. Today, you play with video games at home. Several multinationals have expanded their market with proposals that did not have a decent lifestyle in the center. In Italy, we thought that, in keeping with our traditions, we were safe and that the food industry was acting in a dispersed manner, everyone being attentive to his immediate interests.

Is obesity a new inequality of our time?
S. It affects the poorest groups and the paradox that affects the south more than the north, cradle of the Mediterranean diet in the south. When the supply of food fast food it is badociated with a lack of physical activity and a high proportion of ingested fats leads to a very negative combination, especially among young people.

Should the industry be self-critical?
Self-criticism surely serves to find the path of improvement. Today, quality does not only mean healthy products, but also a seed intervention to the health of the consumer. The older model "more producti better" does not work and in parallel, he realizes that the industry can not alone badume the responsibility of reversing the trend.

What do you think of the traffic light system on the labels to warn consumers of product content?
a shortcut: a society does not evolve with prohibitions, but with a culture and an education. For 20 years in Parma, we have created a winning alliance between the public sector and the private sector, the Giocampus. We bring food and motor education into schools and the results are visible: childhood obesity below the national average.

But ten Giocampus are not enough, do you think of a national plan against obesity?
necessary. Pediatricians, municipalities and individuals must be involved. Investing upstream means saving downstream on health costs.

The government has proposed the badumption of a taxation of soft drinks.
I do not believe in this measure. Why only drink? This seems discriminatory to me. This does not lead to a sense of responsibility.

With regard to the disposal of palm oil, the Italian industry is divided by creating confusion among consumers.
the most functional fat for foods that can be stored long, low cost. We had already started replacing it to improve the nutritional profile of baked goods. Then, when Efsa pointed out the risks, in June 2016, we accelerated the replacement of saturated fats from all our products. A discontinuity that costs us 30 million euros more per year.

You will use it for commercial purposes as you are about to launch a palm oil-free cream in competition with Nutella.
the spin-off of a successful brand, the Pan di Stelle. But that does not come from a competitive theme with Ferrero. A different product of Nutella, not just for palm oil. Then, it is important to describe it as a moment of indulgence.

Is there a link between the work of the Barilla Foundation and your business choices?
Of course. We have already reformulated nearly 400 products and when we launch new ones, we start from the results of the Foundation's work.

What do you think about the Conté government and the lack of dialogue with entrepreneurship?
We do not see innovation as a value and the government is very willing to redistribute what it does not have. The overriding goal should be to create new wealth that is used to pay for well-being that is also able to cope with the situation of obesity. Instead, an autarchic model is put in place and external observers perceive us as a country in the process of closing.