Every 4 March, World Obesity Day is a reminder of the scale of a scourge that now affects , according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). A complex chronic disease, obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Luxembourg is no exception to this trend. In 2019, 16.5% of adults were obese, compared with 15.6% in 2014, according to the European Commission’s European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). But it is among young people that the situation is most worrying: between 2018 and 2022, the rate of overweight and obesity among 11-18 year-olds jumped from 19% to 22%, according to the “Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children” study. Social inequalities further reinforce this phenomenon: 24% of children from disadvantaged backgrounds are overweight, compared with 18% in more affluent households.

In addition to its impact on health, obesity is also an economic burden. According to the WHO, the global cost of obesity will reach $3bn by 2030, and could exceed $18bn by 2060 if nothing is done.

Local initiatives... but still not enough

Faced with this challenge, Luxembourg has launched a number of initiatives, particularly in schools. Restopolis, the authority in charge of school catering, has stepped up its commitment to sustainable food. Since the start of the 2024-2025 school year, school canteens have been giving greater priority to products from local agriculture, reducing food waste and investing in healthier food for pupils.

The “Gesond iessen, Méi beweegen” (GIMB) programme, supported by the health ministry and other institutions, promotes a balanced diet and regular physical activity. It is based on information campaigns, interventions in schools and support for health professionals and educators.

But these measures, which are mainly focused on prevention, are struggling to turn the tide. There are a number of avenues worth exploring if we are to go further. Here are three areas for improvement:

Three ideas for stepping up the fight against obesity

1. Taxing soft drinks: an effective and profitable lever

Unlike our French neighbours, who increased the tax on sugary drinks at the start of the year, Luxembourg does not impose a tax on soft drinks. Yet the benefits of such a measure could be twofold.

From a health point of view, a dissuasive tax would help to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, as the acting head of the WHO’s European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, Kremlin Wickramasinghe, pointed out when presenting a report by the organisation in 2022: “Taxation is a cost-effective policy likely to improve health at national level.”

The economic benefits would also be substantial. In France, this tax generated €443m in revenue in 2023, according to figures from the Syndicat des boissons sans alcool.

2. Encouraging physical activity in the workplace

In Luxembourg, according to a in January 2023 among around 1,100 adult residents, the respondents spend an average of more than twelve hours a day in a seated position, i.e., half their day. This trend is exacerbated by the covid-19 crisis, but also by a heavy reliance on the car and public transport, which limits opportunities for movement, particularly among cross-border commuters.

The consequences of prolonged inactivity are well documented. According to a study by the World Health Organisation, adults who spend more than eight hours sedentary every day have an increased risk of cardiovascular death, with the exception of the “most active.” Despite these findings, few companies are putting in place schemes to encourage their employees to exercise more. Here are some possible approaches:

- Introducing a “sport and well-being time credit,” enabling employees to devote at least one hour a week to physical activity during their working hours;

- Encouraging employers to reimburse sports subscriptions or to offer company fitness programmes with tax benefits.

3. Regulate advertising for excessively fatty and sugary products

The UK has taken the lead: from October 2025, television advertising for products high in fat, salt and sugar will be banned before 9pm, and online advertising for these products will be banned altogether. The government estimates that this measure will prevent 20,000 cases of child obesity a year.

Luxembourg could draw inspiration from this approach by limiting the exposure of younger children to advertising for ultra-processed foods, particularly initially on streaming platforms and social networks, where children are particularly vulnerable.

In a society where diet and physical activity are profoundly influenced by the economic and social environment, it is no longer enough to exhort everyone to “eat better and move more.” An entire system needs to be rethought.

This article was originally published in .