Health-EU

Ensuring that safe surplus food reaches those in greatest need

by Isabel Jonet, President of the European Federation of Food Banks

In the EU, around 90 million tons of foods are wasted yearly (2006 estimate), while 55 million people suffer from food poverty.

Food donation is a key lever in Europe’s solutions both to reduce food waste and alleviate food poverty and social exclusion.

This is the core mission of food banks, nonprofit organizations whose volunteers recover safe surplus food from the supply chain and redistribute it to charitable agencies which help people in need. For instance, the Italian Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus is currently recovering surplus food from the Pavilions’ restaurants and food service po [...]

In this edition

Read the full focus of this edition  »

Also in this focus

Health Programme Projects »

Global and Local food chain Assessment: a Multidimensional performance-based approach

European Union Contest for Young Scientists EXPO 2015 Food Prize

News from the EU 

Commission and WHO Europe scale up cooperation  »

The European Commission and WHO's Regional Office for Europe are renewing their joint commitment to work together towards their shared objective of better health in Europe.

Access to health services in the EU: launch of public consultation on preliminary opinion  »

The European Commission and its independent Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in health have opened a public consultation through end November 2015 on a preliminary opinion which explores options for action to improve equity of access to health services in the EU.

New Joint Action aims to stop the rising obesity rate in children  »

The Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity co-funded under the third Health Programme aims to stop the rise of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents by 2020 by sharing best data and practices within the 26 countries involved.

User-friendly tool developed to test impact of interventions aimed at reducing obesity and smoking  »

The EU-funded project 'EConDA' - Economics of Chronic Diseases' showed how ‘upstream’ prevention interventions focusing on reducing risk factors can be cost-effective and effective.

EU Press Releases 

Managing the refugee crisis: immediate operational, budgetary and legal measures  »

Immediate measures taken under the European Agenda on Migration are outlined.

Forthcoming events 

'Ebola: Lessons Learnt' conference (Luxembourg, 12 – 14 October 2015)  »

The Commission and the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU have co-organised this event to examine best practices and discuss ways to be prepared for the future.

Conference on priorities for a European policy on multimorbidity (Brussels, 27 October 2015)  »

EU Health Award ceremony (Luxembourg, 12 October 2015)  »

Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis will deliver the very first EU Health Award at the Ebola Conference in Luxembourg. This year, three NGOs active in the fight against Ebola will be selected as winners. See the shortlisted NGOs contending for the prizes.

European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) (Stockholm, 11 - 13 November 2015)  »

New publications 

Refugee Crisis – Q and A on Emergency Relocation  »

The Commission published this factsheet in response to a growing number of questions about the emergency relocation of thousands of refugees in the EU. Migration is one of this Commission's top priorities, and the current situation also impacts public health policy.

SCENIHR Opinion on the safety of medical devices containing phthalates published in medical journal  »

The August 2015 edition of the Journal of Medical Device Regulation reports about the Final Opinion on the safety of medical devices containing phthalates (DEHP), which was published by the Scientific Committee on New and Emerging Health Risks.

Reporting from across Europe 

France signs Joint Procurement Agreement  [France]  »

On 22 September 2015, France became the 22nd EU country to sign the Joint Procurement Agreement to procure medical countermeasures.

Laughter is the best medicine – also for helping to quit smoking!  [Italy]  »

Italy's new anti-tobacco campaign uses humour to get across a serious message. If you smoke, those around you smoke too – even the dog as seen in one of these new ads!