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Preventia

Discover how the Preventia project, led by Safe Food Advocacy Europe, is uniting partners across Europe to make a difference!

Newsletter #1

Foreword

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are diseases that are not transmissible from one person to another, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases. NCDs are the result of unhealthy lifestyles, e.g. tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and use of alcohol, leading to metabolic and physiological changes. In European countries, NCDs are responsible for an enormous part of the burden that public health systems in the Member States are facing. The increasing rates of deaths related to NCDs in Europe are concerning, but although running rampant, the complex health issues caused by NCDs can be tackled, if we improve prevention measures and promote health.
Healthy diets are a key aspect of our lifestyle, and can help tackling the rise of NCDs. A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats is essential for our overall health, and reduces the risk of chronic illnesses.
The Preventia project aims to decrease the spreading of NCDs across the EU, while reducing health inequalities and fostering cooperation and exchanges between the EU Member States.

What's new

The Preventia project is coordinated by Safe Food Advocacy Europe, in cooperation with a consortium of partners from across Europe, including the Consumer Education and Information Center (Croatia), the Lithuanian Consumer Institute (Lithuania), the Union for Working Consumers of Greece (Greece), the Consumers Defense Union (Italy), Amici Obesi (Italy) and Promote Ukraine (Belgium).

The project kick-off meeting took place in Brussels on the 15th of February 2024, and the active participation of all consortium members allowed to establish a fruitful cooperation. While the majority of the activities will be carried out in 2025 and 2026, the project partners have began the preparatory work for the upcoming events and trainings. Partners have so far kicked-off the work related to the preparation of trainings for schools in disadvantaged areas, workshops for NGOs and Ukrainian health professionals, culinary events with migrants and Ukrainians under temporary protection and the development of a mobile application to make healthier food choices.

All the project activities focus on raising awareness regarding NCDs prevention, highlighting the importance of healthy diets and targeting vulnerable groups, particularly Ukrainians and socio-economically disadvantaged children.

Science says so

This report highlights the substantial impact of commercial determinants on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the WHO European Region. Nearly 7500 deaths per day in the Region are attributed to commercial determinants, such as tobacco, alcohol, processed food, fossil fuels and occupational practices. These commercial products and practices contribute to 25% of all deaths in the Region. The report’s chapters systematically explore various facets of how commercial interests exacerbate NCDs and key strategies used by commercial actors to negatively influence NCD-related policies at the national and international level. The report also provides selected case studies from the Region to illustrate key strategies and outcomes of industry influence on health policies. The report then calls for urgent and coordinated action to address the commercial determinants of NCDs. It advocates for building coalitions based on the values of equity, sustainability, and resilience. Public health actors are urged to develop competencies in economic and legal frameworks, enforce transparency, and manage conflicts of interest effectively. The report underscores the need for robust financial reforms and strict regulation to curb industry power and protect public health. By implementing these strategies, the Region can accelerate progress towards global NCD targets and Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Consumers with low socio-economic status face unique challenges that limit their uptake of healthy and sustainable eating (e.g., reduced affordability, accessibility, and availability of healthy and sustainable foods). The reduced exposure to, seeking of, and trust in health information observed in vulnerable consumers further reinforce these challenges. This toolkit presents evidence-based recommendations on empowering vulnerable consumers to shift towards healthier and more sustainable diets. This toolkit of recommendations is particularly relevant for science communicators, researchers, health professionals, journalists, NGOs, and policy makers who work with communities with low socioeconomic status.

​This study unveils a path toward reducing diet-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and diabetes by aligning ready-made meals with health & sustainability guidelines. Requiring large ready-made meal distributors in the EU to comply with health & sustainability standards would reduce the main diet-linked diseases, the cost of ingredients and the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions.

This document provides an updated list of “best buys” and other recommended interventions to address noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). It is based on Appendix 3 of the Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020, which was first approved in 2013 and last updated in 2017. The global action plan, which was extended to 2030 by a World Health Assembly decision in 2019 has 6 objectives, the implementation of which at country level supports the attainment of the 9 voluntary NCD targets, and facilitates the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on good health and well-being. 

The latest on nutrition and health

The European Council will not consider health as a priority for the next five years, according to a leaked draft of the EU’s Strategic Agenda seen by Euractiv. Health is only mentioned twice in the document and is incorporated among bigger files such as defense and artificial intelligence (AI). 

The Council is calling on the European Commission to keep health as a priority in its upcoming five-year term. In conclusions approved today, member states acknowledge the work already carried out to improve health policy coordination at EU level, highlight the ongoing challenges facing the EU’s health system, and set out the key areas of focus for strengthening the European Health Union.

The article discusses how ultra-processed foods can negatively impact the gut microbiome and, consequently, the immune system.

The study investigated the long-term benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet as part of the Women’s health study and explored the biological mechanisms, which may explain the diet’s health benefits

What is EU doing?

The European Parliament resolution from January 18, 2024, focuses on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods. It aims to ensure that claims on food products are clear and based on scientific evidence. 

The report outlines the current situation and suggests measures for prevention and management of NCDs within the EU. 

Let's debate about health

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Preventia (“NCDs prevention and health promotion through training, networking and awareness-raising across the EU”)  has received funding from the European Union’s EU4Health programme implemented by HaDEA under Grant Agreement No 101128898.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

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