The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity needs to be addressed. Without clear evidence to show which preventive interventions are most likely to work, a series of precautionary measures can be suggested. At a meeting of scientific experts organised by the International Obesity TaskForce and held at the European Congress on Obesity in May, 2004, a number of measures were proposed which follow the precautionary principle of promoting health while being unlikely to increase the risk of harm. The proposals are reported in the present paper.