Europe's vision of the future of food systems needs to be improved with a focus on young generations, who will be putting into practice the Farm to Fork strategy (F2F), according to Riccardo Valentini, a prominent agricultural expert, who warned that "everything in this transition that is done without young people is a waste of money".
The EU's determination to become a global leader in sustainability will be matched by investments in solutions to deliver on the commitments set out in the EU's new food policy, Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
EU Sport Commissioner Tibor Navracsics praised the involvement of "a wide range of actors" in promoting physical activity in Europe, and called on the private sector to ensure that healthy choices are easier and more affordable for everyone.
The selective approach of some campaign groups regarding the credibility of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) results in a “general erosion of trust” in the bodies designed to protect public health, EFSA director Bernhard Url told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
“Mother Nature” is changing quickly and this requires the adoption of technology-driven solutions that will help both growers and consumers, Jim Collins, the chief operating officer of Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, told EURACTIV.
An innovation-driven approach – ranging from vaccination to other health management solutions and appropriate biosecurity measures – will ensure more sustainable future livestock farming and protection of public health, as animal diseases do not recognise borders, Roxane Feller told EURACTIV.com.
After Brexit, the UK should develop a real food policy focused on consumer health and self-sufficiency, while ensuring public money gets to the farmers who need it, David Drew told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
The requirements of food production can be met without GMOs but we should not eliminate the broader benefits that biotechnologies can provide, Daniel Gustafson told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Simplified food label schemes like the UK-style traffic light will provide EU consumers clear and simple elements and therefore, better inform them, Marco Settembri told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Food quality in Western Europe can differ greatly to what Central and Eastern European shops stock on their shelves. S&D group MEP Daciana Sârbu spoke to EURACTIV Romania about the issue and promoting local produce.
There is a great need to raise awareness and enhance education on diabetes and a healthier lifestyle “at every level”, Stella de Sabata, head of the International Diabetes Federation, told EURACTIV.com.
The European executive will reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by the end of 2017. José Bové and Éric Andrieu argue for an agricultural system that puts the environment, human health and small businesses first. EURACTIV’s partner Ouest France reports.
Agroforestry is a "back to the future" concept, advocating a return to the origins of farming —trees and fields— rather than the modern concept of huge monocultures, says Tony Simons.
Becoming disciplined to exercise and eat well was a learning curve for tennis champion Justine Henin, but she is helping to fight obesity by promoting healthy living and eating amongst young people, drawing on her personal experience and through her foundations.
Some 60% of Europeans seldom engage in sport or physical activity, says EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, who urges Europeans to get out of their chairs to help combat obesity.
Instead of focusing on weight loss, European physicians should pay attention to the waist and in general where the "dangerous" fat is stored in obese patients as these are better indicators of the development of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes, says Jean-Pierre Després.
The United States is often ahead of Europe when it comes to the newest technology but also unhealthy lifestyles. Therefore, the EU could look to the US for solutions on how to deal with obesity, says James O. Hill.
The World Food Programme is UN’s front-line agency in disaster and conflict areas. Its new director in the Horn of Africa, Valerie Guarnieri, says the European Union’s recent crisis response in sub-Saharan Africa should set a new standard for financing humanitarian action.
Development aid contributes to economic success in both developing countries and in Europe, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs tells EURACTIV in an exclusive interview.
Clearer food labelling and awareness-raising campaigns can help prevent an obesity epidemic in Europe, Liberal Romanian MEP Magor Imre Csibi told EURACTIV in an interview. But taxing high-fat foods is not part of the solution, he added.
Low income households are increasingly turning to cheap packaged and fatty food, warns Jaap C. Seidel, a nutrition and health professor, inisisting that EU agricultural subsidies should to be turned round to make fruit and vegetables more affordable.
The EU platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health still lacks representatives of the physical-activity side of the obesity problem, says Dr Gernot Wainig.
Food labelling and advertising to children are two areas where industry is unlikely to be able to self-regulate and legislation is therefore required, argues Sue Davies from the UK consumer organisation Which?.
Those who adopted healthy life as one of the key performance indicators for Lisbon understood that there is a business case for healthy citizens, explains Robert Madelin.
