Healthy lifestyles, healthy behaviours

On June EPHA, together with other 18 public health organisations, sent a letter to the director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab in support of the WHO Europe Food and Nutrition Action Plan 2014-2020 currently under preparation. The organisations welcome a strategic approach towards comprehensive food and nutrition policies, whilst outlining the principles considered fundamental for the Plan. On behalf of the public health community, the signatories to this letter (...)

By 26 June, the Irish Presidency of the Council of European Union intends to strike a deal on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform for the years 2014-2020. After 20 months of tough negotiation, how likely is the CAP and crops its supposed to produce to contribute to public health objectives of improved health outcomes and reduced health inequalities? In 2010, the European Commission announced its vision for "the CAP towards 2020" with the inclusion of public health and healthy (...)

Malnutrition in all its forms – hunger, undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity – imposes unacceptably high, but yet avoidable, economic and social costs on both rich economies and developing countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s report the ’State of Food and Agriculture 2013: Food systems for better nutrition’ argues that reducing these costs must begin with improved nutritional security put at the heart of (...)

Following the vote by the European Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee on Monday (21 May 2013) rejecting the Commission’s proposal for one billion cut to the Fund for the 2014-2020 European Aid to the Most Deprived, EPHA applauds the Committee’s move whilst asking to re-consider its take on health and nutritional value of the food aid provision to the EU’s poor. The new 2014-2020 programme is intended to replace the Food Distribution Programme designed to (...)

The Lancet (the world’s leading medical journal), together with a number of international organisations (e.g.WHO, UNDP, World Bank), national governments and civil society, examined UN progress on the global development agenda. The discussions explored solutions for better accountability for global action on non-communicable disease (NCDs). EPHA, which closely followed the discussion, developed a number of key messages relevant to the public health community. The Lancet (...)

Organic farming and production play a significant economic role in the EU’s agricultural landscape. They can provide a market-oriented alternative for agricultural producers wishing to respond to the increasing demand for high-quality, eco-friendly products. In this consultation, the European Commission would like your views on how organic farming should be best developed. The Public Consultation is available on the website of the European Commission Background - organic farming (...)

Following the disappointing outcome of the January 23 vote by the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) over the CAP reform, 25 farmers’ and civil society networks from 10 countries are today launching the EU-wide action: Go M.A.D. (Go Meet A Deputy!). It calls upon Europe’s citizens to directly interact with their local members of the European Parliament (MEP) and ask them how they will vote during the plenary decision on the CAP (...)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has decided to launch an open consultation on its scientific risk assessment about the safety of ’Aspartame’ (codified as E951 in the EU), the widely-used and controversial artificial sweetener. In May 2011, EFSA was asked by the Commission to re-evaluate fully the safety of aspartame. The study is now been made public and submitted for comments until February 15. Public consultation on the draft scientific opinion on the (...)

The Council adopted a progress report on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The Irish presidency will follow the dossiers in the first half of 2013. Common agricultural policy reform - progress report Member states broadly welcomed the progress report and overall considered it as a fair and accurate reflection of the debate in the Council, which would lay the foundations for the next steps in the process under the Irish Presidency. They also noted that the next Presidency (...)

FOODSTUFFS The three Presidencies will work together to ensure a high level of food safety, taking into account the work conducted by the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius and the essential role of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to carry risk assessments as part of authorisation procedures. They will ensure the adoption of the proposed regulation on food intended for infants and young children and on food for special medical purposes, aimed at replacing the current legal regime on (...)