Weight Issues

Italy's new Implementation of Government Programme Minister Gianfranco Rotondi attends the swearing-in ceremony at Quirinale palace in Rome in this May 8, 2008 file photo. Food-loving Italy responded with indignation November 24, 2009 to Rotondi's comments that lunchbreaks -- still a sit-down ritual for many Italian workers -- are bad for waistlines and the economy, and should be skipped. While many European peers nibble a sandwich at their desk, most Italian workers still retire en masse to a "tavola calda" (buffet restaurant) or a works canteen for a slap-up meal, often an hour-long affair involving pasta or meat, a vegetable dish, fruit and coffee. But Rotondi said this encourages shirking and obesity, and makes the working day unnecessarily long, meaning parents get home later to see their children.