Cuardaigh

Do thorthaí

Ag taispeáint 10 as 24 torthaí

Starting with milk in the 1970s, the EU has a long history of supplying agricultural products to school children. With a dedicated EU school scheme for the 2017-2023 period, the EU is currently funding the distribution of fruit, vegetables, milk and milk products, and also educational and information measures. The main policy objective is to ensure that children's nutritional needs are met and healthy eating habits and lifestyles are established. The European Parliament is scrutinising the implementation ...

Demographic, socio-political and economic pressures have made eating meat an unsustainable practice for the long term. However, meat substitutes have proved unpopular, owing to social norms and a lack of trust; some alternatives also contribute heavily to climate change. Could microbial protein be a sustainable alternative to meat that not only solves these multidimensional pressures but also contributes actively to reversing climate change?

Scientific evidence indicates that beneficial microorganisms (that live in nearly ubiquitous communities called microbiota) are an essential component of human health, and could be a new frontier for personalised medicine to fight non-communicable diseases and improve human health. For their potential benefits to reach society, the EU should consider standardisation, protocols, and a regulatory framework to support research and innovation.

The culmination of two years' preparatory work and worldwide mobilisation events, the United Nations Food Systems Summit took place on 23 September 2021. The idea behind the summit, initiated by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, was to start a process of transforming the way the world produces, consumes and thinks about food – as a crucial step in progressing on all 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). The summit was announced in October 2019 – before the Covid 19 pandemic became ...

World Diabetes Day 2021

Sracfhéachaint 10-11-2021

World Diabetes Day – marked every year on 14 November – was proclaimed by the United Nations in 2007 to raise awareness of diabetes and related complications, and to promote prevention and care, including through education. World Diabetes Day also offers an opportunity to evaluate progress in the EU.

Remaining active in spite of the pandemic

Sracfhéachaint 20-09-2021

This year, the seventh edition of the European Week of Sport (23-30 September) will kick off again in unusual circumstances. The official opening will take place on 23 September at Lake Bled (Slovenia) and will be centred around three core themes – joy, resilience and inter-generations – thus bringing the Week to life through inspirational and real-life stories. The lockdown measures put in place to curb the coronavirus pandemic have made the initiative more necessary than ever. Indeed, while pre-pandemic ...

This study explores the prospects of aligning citizens' behaviour with the objectives of the European Green Deal in the domains of food consumption and mobility. Creating a climate-neutral and resource-efficient European economy requires a deep transformation of energy, mobility and food systems, as well as a change in production and consumption practices. Such profound change will impact both individuals and society. At the same time, the transition to sustainability will not succeed if people do ...

The aim of this briefing is to give an overview of positions the European Parliament has taken over the last twenty years that are relevant to the Farm to Fork strategy, the component of the European Green Deal that aims for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system. Despite it being a new strategy, most of its 27 actions are connected to already existing legislation and as such, Parliament has previously given its opinion on the subjects covered by the strategy. This briefing presents ...

What if insects were on the menu in Europe?

Sracfhéachaint 03-07-2020

Insects, while commonly consumed elsewhere in the world, have long been off the menu in Europe – but they could soon be creeping their way onto our plates. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is now gaining serious interest – is it set to take Europe by swarm?

Demography matters. The economy and the labour market, but also social protection, intergenerational fairness and healthcare, the environment, food and nutrition are all driven by demography. The population of EU countries has grown substantially – by around a quarter since 1960 – and currently it stands at almost 450 million. The numbers are now beginning to stagnate however and are expected to decline from around the middle of the century. With the world population having risen still more substantially ...