Lasting food and nutrition policies
for a healthy Europe

Problems associated with poor nutrition and unhealthy eating habits have affected and will continue to affect many generations of Europeans.

The food and nutrition policies developed in the Best-ReMaP project are aimed to improve the nutritional status of people by increasing the availability of and access to healthy food.

Nutrition policies for a healthier future

Improving the food intake of future generations requires the implementation of impactful measures. Food reformulation, stringent monitoring of food marketing targeted at children, and substantial improvements in public food procurement practices play pivotal roles. These strategies have emerged as effective tools for improving the overall quality of food consumption, driven by strong cooperation among leading nutrition experts, policy makers, and industry representatives across Europe and within individual EU nations.

Roadmap of relevant national and EU policies including the list of national and European stakeholders

This roadmap is a comprehensive consolidation of essential knowledge from previous and ongoing European initiatives and strategic documents. It establishes a strong foundation for the Best-ReMaP project and ensures full alignment with the state-of-the-art public health policies in food and nutrition at the European level.  It directs the focus of this Joint Action toward the implementation of proven, viable policies, to maximise the impact of the project. See the report here. 

Report on Sustainability and Integration into National Policies

This comprehensive report presents policy-level insights acquired throughout the Best-ReMaP project. It is a synthesis of outcomes derived from policy dialogues conducted at both national and European levels, along with a set of recommendations aimed at modifying existing measures or formulating and implementing new policies. By consolidating this knowledge, the report serves as a valuable resource for informed decision-making and strategic actions to drive meaningful changes in the realm of nutrition policies.

Report on Options towards Integration into National Policies and Sustainability

This report paved the way for the stakeholder discussions in the Best-ReMaP Joint Action and leveraged the knowledge gained in previous work on this area (e.g. the Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity and relevant Council Conclusions). This report is also an analysis of possible steps toward sustainable actions.

Prototype database, with recommendations for further steps

This database includes the results of the EUREMO project and JANPA projects. The EC Joint Research Center is to host the data in its open-access Data Catalogue and offers a user-friendly visualization tool. The database offers the Member States a long-lasting tool to explore the data and make it available to researchers and public policy advisors for the national policies and legislation. This is a sustainable system that allows the expansion of the dataset by the Member States after the conclusion of the activities of Best-ReMaP.

Our vision

By turning results into policies our work contributes:

  • to an increased offer of healthier options of processed foods (by reducing salt, sugar and fat content) available in EU (super)markets;
  • to a reduced marketing pressure of unhealthy foods and drinks on children;
  • to a higher quality of menus within public institutions.

Our goals completed

This project team provided valuable support to the implementation, transfer and integration of the results and outcomes of the Best-ReMaP Joint Action into national and EU-level policies in the areas of

  • food reformulation
  • food marketing and
  • public procurement of healthy food in public settings.

Why act?

Globally in 2017, 11 million deaths were attributable to dietary risk factors.
High intake of sodium, low intake of whole grains, and low intake of fruits were the leading dietary risk factors for deaths in many countries.
Improving diet could potentially prevent one in five deaths worldwide.

Source:
Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(19)30041-8/fulltext

Our knowledge-base

OECD (2019): The Heavy Burden of Obesity: The Economics of Prevention. Almost one in four people in OECD countries is currently obese. This epidemic has far-reaching consequences for individuals, society and the economy. Using microsimulation modelling, this book analyses the burden of obesity and overweight in 52 countries (including OECD, European Union and G20 countries), showing how overweight reduces life expectancy, increases healthcare costs, decreases workers’ productivity and lowers GDP. The report makes the urgent economic case to scale up investments in policies to promote healthy lifestyles and tackle this growing global public health problem. The book evaluates a number of policies which could significantly improve health outcomes while being an excellent investment for countries. Read more

Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Every year, 3.5 million people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer, and 1.3 million die from it. Over 40% of cancer cases are preventable. Without reversing current trends, it could become the leading cause of death in the EU. Europe’s beating cancer plan aims to reduce the cancer burden for patients, their families and health systems. It will address cancer related inequalities between and within Member States with actions to support, coordinate and complement Member States’ efforts. Read more

Roadmap for action on Food Product Improvement – Dutch EU presidency 2016. During the Dutch Council Presidency, the Dutch Minister for Health presented the Roadmap for Action on Food Product Improvement. The Roadmap contains agreements made between 22 EU member states, non-EU members Norway and Switzerland, nongovernmental organizations and food business operators to take measures to improve food quality and to make healthy choice the easy choice. Read more

Austrian EU Presidency 2018, Food Systems Dialogues event. The Food Systems Dialogue event was organized on 23 November 2018 in Vienna and involved approximately 30 participants, within a Conference hosted by the Austrian Presidency of the EU, entitled “People’s food, people’s health: Towards healthy and sustainable European food systems.” Read more

The Farm to Fork Strategy. The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly. The Farm to Fork Strategy aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system. Read more

The JANPA Joint Action

In 2014, the EU Action Plan on Childhood Obesity 2014–2020 was launched with an overarching goal to halt the rise of overweight and obesity in children by the year 2020. To facilitate the implementation of the Action Plan, the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission provided support to bring together 25 Member States plus Norway for a Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity (JANPA). JANPA was among the key instruments proposed to facilitate the sharing of experience and good practices regarding programs and policies to tackle poor diets and physical inactivity between the participating countries. Read more about JANPA and check the JANPA Toolbox.

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