04/03/2010

The Minister for Health and Social Policy, Trinidad Jiménez, accompanied by the President of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, Roberto Sabrido, explained the Spanish obesity prevention strategy (NAOS Strategy) to the US Health Secretary during a visit to Washington.

The promotion of a healthy diet is one of the priorities of Barack Obama’s government, due to concerns regarding the high levels of childhood obesity (one in three children is overweight), and it is being led by his wife, Michelle. The Minister for Health and Social Policy, along with the President of AESAN therefore held an early morning meeting with the Health Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius. In Spain, anti-obesity initiatives and the promotion of physical activity are grouped together under the NAOS Strategy, which is already showing good results in Spain, along with a reduction in salt consumption.

Accompanied by José Martínez Olmos, the Secretary General for Health, Trinidad Jiménez and Roberto Sabrido then went to the restaurant of the well-known Spanish chef, José Andrés, where they enjoyed a Mediterranean meal.