Belgium’s Queen Mathilde has called for an ambitious and inclusive food policy to tackle obesity and diet-related diseases, warning that fragmented approaches will not suffice.

Speaking at a Brussels Symposium on reducing the prevalence of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Belgian population, she joined public health leaders in urging prevention, equity and systemic solutions to reverse alarming trends.

“The reduction of the rate of obesity and non-transmissible diseases related to food, such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers or food disorders, has become a concern recognised at the national and international level,” said Queen Mathilde. Such conditions, she warned, “weigh heavily on the public health budgets of states.”

She urged policymakers to pursue inclusiveness over blame. “A policy that focuses on the whole population, without judgment or exclusion. A policy that integrates value-added prevention and at the same time the complexity of individual realities.” Nutrition, she added, “affects quality of life, self-esteem, mental health and social inclusion.”

Alarming figures

Mieke Walravens, Director General of the DG Animals, Plants and Food of the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chains Safety and Environment, set out the scale of the problem.

“Almost one in two people is overweight. In fact, 49% of the population is overweight and 18% suffer from obesity,” she said, adding that “57% of Belgians have an increased or strongly increased belly fat,” heightening risks of cardiovascular disease, liver problems and type 2 diabetes.

Prevalence rises sharply with age, from one in five children to more than 70% of seniors. “If the current trend continues, the number of cases of obesity in Belgium will continue to increase by 2030,” Walravens warned. Belgium, she said, is off track to meet the WHO’s 2025 target of halting obesity growth.

She also pointed to equity concerns: “Chronic diseases linked to our diet hit more severely the most vulnerable populations, those with the least financial means and at a low level of education. Reducing these diseases is therefore not only protecting public health, but also acting for more equity and social justice.”

Moving beyond slogans

Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke highlighted Belgium’s unhealthy consumption patterns. “Only a small minority of Belgians eat enough fruits and vegetables every day. Our caloric intake from transformed products is too important. We also consume too much salt and sugar,” he said.

The government has launched an integrated programme on childhood obesity, but Vandenbroucke said broader reforms are required. “Health in All Policies must be more than a slogan. It is a principle that obliges us and our policies on mobility, education, agriculture, taxation, that contribute to making food healthier and more durable.”

On new anti-obesity drugs, he warned against over-reliance: “With only a little pill to make up for it, we will not be able to provide a sustainable answer… we have to look at how, when, for whom this medication can play a role in an integrated approach, where lifestyle is just as important.”

Rademakers wants shared responsibility

Speaking to Euractiv, Dirk Rademakers, Chair of the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, stressed that lasting change requires broad mobilisation. “It’s not just about public health. It’s also about the link with the food industry. It’s also about certain financial incentives. Often very important,” he said.

He argued that responsibility cannot be reduced to individual choice: “Everyone has a piece of responsibility. But it’s even more, what will people live with? What is the environment?”

Rademakers emphasised the need for honest communication. “In the past, smoking was a popular thing… and now it’s the other way around. That’s the philosophy that’s needed for healthy eating as well.” Social media, he suggested, can help reach young people more effectively than government channels, citing UK chef Jamie Oliver as an example.

He pointed to schools and affordability as key levers, saying: “There are a lot of schools [with] healthy meals. That’s certainly a point where we have to pay attention. A part of healthy food is not necessarily more expensive, but… ultra-processed food is cheap. We have to make it clear: if you choose a healthy diet, you have to facilitate it more.”

Prevention planning

WHO Europe’s Hans Kluge briefly framed the issue in broader terms. Belgium is one of only ten countries in the region to have reached the 2025 target of reducing premature NCD mortality, he said, but preventable mortality has fallen much more slowly than treatable mortality. “This calls for strengthened investments in prevention. Not only is it more impactful than treatment, it’s more cost-effective.”

Walravens called for courage and coherence: “We know that it is possible to improve food supply. We know that it is possible to better regulate marketing. We know that we can provide more education for young children. But for this, willpower, coherence and courage are necessary.”

Queen Mathilde framed the challenge as collective: “It is a collective challenge that mobilises public policies, health professionals, institutions, but also families, educators, companies in the agri-industry and citizens themselves,” she said, while Vandenbroucke concluded that Belgium must act swiftly: “In the coming days and weeks, we will have to translate this into policy proposals that must lead to decisions, concrete, ambitious and coordinated actions.”

(VA, BM)