What should Europe do to promote a balanced diet?

The EU’s new political language provides an important opportunity for policymakers to reassess their strategies on how to promote balanced diets more effectively. We should all aim for a European policy that prioritizes the health and well-being of our citizens, with appropriate measures and concrete results.These should be considered Voluntary action instead of regulation and Science-based policy took root Robust food and beverage consumption data.

The European soft drinks industry, represented by UNESCO, is a great example of how self-regulatory action can respond to society’s concerns, drive meaningful change and inspire others. UNESDA took a series of bold voluntary steps two decades ago regarding strict rules on the sale of soft drinks in EU schools, including a ban on marketing to children and a ban on the sale of drinks in primary schools. We are proud to be the world’s first food industry association. .

Our department has embarked on a remarkable sugar reduction journey Over the past 20 years. We reimagine existing recipes, offer smaller pack sizes for better portion control and moderate consumption, and innovate to increase our offering of no-calorie and low-calorie options to reduce consumption. has continued to reduce the average sugar content of soft drinks by attracting consumers to these beverages. We have achieved significant milestones in sugar reduction. A 13.3% reduction between 2000 and 2015, followed by a 14.6% reduction between 2015 and 2019, and most recently a 7.6% reduction between 2019 and 2022.

As an industry that has long been committed to a balanced lifestyle, it was natural for us to sign up to the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practice in 2021. This provides an ideal platform to strengthen collective efforts to build a more sustainable and healthier society. The EU’s food and drink system is an ambitious voluntary initiative.

We are determined to continue encouraging Europeans to have a balanced diet. To take our action further, we need support from policymakers, including:

• secure Reliable and up-to-date food and beverage consumption data in Europe To better understand what interventions are effective. A thorough analysis of existing data revealed two important aspects of her: 1) Soft drink consumption is decreasing in several European countries, indicating that this sector is no longer the main source of sugar intake. This shows that policymakers need to take a multifaceted approach that considers all sources of added sugar. 2) Current data are insufficient to serve as a basis for informed policy decisions. Ensuring the availability of accurate and comparable EU-wide data is essential to understanding consumption patterns for effective decision-making.

• Develop Evidence-based policies that do not discriminate against ingredients approved as safe Intended for use by health authorities and enables food innovation. For example, low- and zero-calorie sweeteners are ingredients that have been thoroughly evaluated for safety by the EU’s European Food Safety Authority. These offer the taste consumers know and expect from their favorite foods, while containing no or very few calories, allowing consumers to reduce their sugar and calorie intake. Helps you manage. These ingredients deserve greater public recognition for the role they play in achieving public health objectives such as reducing overweight and obesity.

• support Science-based, harmonized and non-discriminatory labeling policy Helping consumers make informed choices. Policy decisions must not be guided by emotional bias. Instead, we need to ensure that all foods and drinks are treated equally, based firmly on evidence.

As an industry, we continue to play our part in supporting balanced diets. We look forward to working with new EU policymakers and stakeholders to drive broader positive impact within a policy environment that fosters voluntary initiatives and science-based policies. I’m doing it.

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