According to the Progress report, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are one of the main causes of illness across Europe causing millions of deaths each year. The pandemic context worsened an already sensitive situation, hindering proper assistance for patients. The most effective way to help people preventing from NCDs is by raising awareness and educating them about the importance of nutritional care, discouraging smoking and alcohol consumption, and supporting physical activity. Indeed, many undervalue the impact that food and nutrition have on our health system, ignoring the fact that what we eat can be associated with a wide range of chronic conditions, including coronary heart disease, hepatitis, stroke, cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even more.
This joint letter, led by the European Federation of the Association of Dieticians and co-signed by EPHA among others, aims to raise the importance of food literacy and support nutrition care as an essential part of policy initiatives to tackle non-communicable diseases. Every European citizen should have the right to access nutritional care. It is proven that nutrition interventions not only can improve the well-being and the health status of people but can also have a positive impact from the socioeconomic perspective, then why shouldn’t we adopt them?
