The association between nutrition and cardiovascular diseases is set to come under discussion today as members of the European Parliament Heart Group meet in Brussels.

The group is expected to address the subject of food labelling and its relation to heart health across Europe, focusing on the need to harmonise national schemes to make nutritional labelling clearer.

Professor Pedro Marques, spokesperson for the European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, commented: "Given the alarming rate at which obesity is progressing, especially among children, bringing with it other health related problems such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, it seems necessary to insist on giving consumers clear and understandable information in order to help them make better informed dietary choices."

According to professor William Wijns from the European society of Cardiology: "It is urgent to achieve a harmonised common policy on labelling as soon as possible as part of a larger effort to raise awareness on the effects of unhealthy eating habits on our bodies and especially their link to increased risk of cardiovascular disease."

The European Heart Network has called for mandatory colour coding labelling the 'big eight' - energy, protein, carbohydrate, sugars, fibre, fat, saturated fat, trans fat and salt.

Figures show that cardiovascular disease accounts for 4.3 million European deaths, making it Europe's number one killer.

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