Young People at a Healthy Weight

Breda has been a JOGG municipality since spring 2011. JOGG is the acronym in Dutch for Young People at a Healthy Weight. In cooperation with many civil society organisations, a long-term programme has been launched in a district of Breda to encourage young people to eat and drink more healthily and take more exercise. A number of companies, including Cosun with its head office in Breda, are supporting this local programme.

JOGG is an initiative of the Healthy Weight Agreement, in which the public authorities, private businesses and academia are working together on a society in which people remain at a healthy weight. The Dutch Food Industry Federation (FNLI) is one of the partners. It has called on its members, including Cosun, to take part in the initiative and set up their own local programmes.

Obesity is a social problem with enormous consequences. We cannot afford to close our eyes to it. Cosun cannot turn the tide by itself but we can do something with the help of others. The participants are contributing their knowledge of foods and responsible diets. They are also sharing their social marketing skills because municipalities do not have as much marketing know-how as the business community. We want to tempt people to take more exercise and to eat and drink responsibly without patronising them. We are also providing financial support. And when it helps, we'll role up our sleeves to organise an event or activity for the JOGG programme.

 

Municipalities are working with schools, health centres, sports clubs, businesses and other stakeholders. Young people and their parents are being tempted in all kinds of ways to eat more healthily and take more exercise, for example through nutrition lessons, cookery demonstrations and after-school sports events. Community health services and school doctors are also involved. They periodically measure the programme's impact. The JOGG programme also explains to municipalities why more play areas, walking and cycling routes and improved road safety in public areas can help people to carry on taking exercise.

Staying at a healthy weight is a long-term commitment to a responsible lifestyle, good food and exercise. The ratio between eating and using calories must be kept in balance. A short-term project can focus the spotlight on one aspect but that is not enough to tackle the growth in obesity. Bringing existing and new projects together under one banner combines their strengths and increases the impact of the results. Joining forces, involving parents and making JOGG fun increases the likelihood that the results will stick. France has been using such a local and integrated method has for some ten years now and the number of obese children in participating municipalities and larger districts has been halved.