Health: Cardiovascular diseases: EU wants to strengthen prevention

How exactly the authority wants to take action against unhealthy foods initially remained open. According to the commission, it will be examined which tools are suitable – this also includes possible financial measures.

In addition, the authority wants to take particularly early measures, such as protection against harmful advertising, for children and young people. The Commission wants a new system for assessing food processing to provide consumers with transparent, scientifically based digital information.

Most common cause of death

According to the EU Commission, cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes remain the most common cause of death in the EU. According to this, they are the reason for 1.7 million deaths every year and affect more than 60 million people in the EU.

The President of the German Society for Cardiology, Stefan Blankenberg, said that the Commission’s plan is expected to provide political and strategic support to reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and thus enable a healthier and longer life for all sectors of society. He called for sufficient money for preventative programs to control risk factors and a well-funded research budget.

The managing director of the German Nutrition Society, Kiran Virmani, said that a large proportion of highly processed foods are also high in fat, salt and sugar – “so we think it makes sense to work on reducing their intake”. It is important to use all available tools, from education to financial incentives and consciously designing food environments that facilitate healthier and more sustainable diets. “Concrete measures would include, for example, introducing a sugar tax and reducing VAT on fruit, vegetables and legumes.”