Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
The obesity pandemic in France
Obesity is a global public health problem that continues to grow. Over the last 25 years, obesity has grown in France, especially among youth. In 2020, one in two adults was dealing with overweight or obesity in the country. Indeed, 47 percent of French adults were overweight, of which 17 percent suffered from obesity. Compared to 1997, obesity rates in France have notably quadrupled among 18–24-year-olds. Bariatric surgery, intended to treat people with severe obesity, has developed rapidly in France. As a result, the number of interventions has multiplied by more than 20, from 1997 to 2016. As being overweight or obese increases the risks for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain cancers, both conditions have become a significant public health concern.
Health amids an unhealthy modern lifestyle
Nutrition and exercise play an essential role in preventing overweight and obesity. For this reason, France launched several prevention campaigns to incite people to have healthier eating habits and practice more physical exercise. Despite the promotion of information on the importance of having a healthy diet, only one in two French people consume fruits and vegetables daily. Sedentarism characterizes our modern lifestyle, and lack of physical activity is key to understanding the current increasing trend in obesity. Regarding the frequency of physical activity and exercise, a third of French people don’t regularly practice physical exercise. With the digital age, sedentary lifestyles are bound to be even more prevalent. In March 2022, a survey notably revealed that 80 percent of young adults spent over three hours a day on a screen.The paradoxical food culture in France
Although UNESCO classifies French cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and that the country is known for its culinary culture, actual eating habits in France tell another story. In 2022, there were 45 thousand fast food restaurants in the country, seven thousand more than in 2019. France is notably the European country with the largest number of McDonald's. According to the French Agency for Food, the "problem" is the type of dishes consumed and the frequency with which they are eaten. The choice is preferentially made towards products rich in fats and sugars; that is to say, towards sandwiches, pizzas, fast food, and sodas. New eating habits thus capture a paradoxical image of the food culture in France.The need for strong public health policies is hindered by companies and lobbyists
This obesity pandemic requires public health policies that mirror the severity of the issue. Some measures are known to be effective, including regulating advertising, regulating fiscality to allow better access to more nutritious foods to less advantaged populations, and subsidizing nutritive foods while taxing poorer nutritional ones. These all require political will. In 2017, the nutriscore, a product's nutritional value rating, was implemented in France. However, this packaging information is optional due to European laws and pressure by farmers' unions, retailing, and food industries. Nonetheless, some manufacturers have agreed to display the nutriscore on their products thanks to social pressure, whereas others, such as Coca-Cola, Mars, Ferrero, or Lactalis, refuse to endorse it.
