Following the adoption of the new European Life Sciences Strategy, Eat Europe and Farm Europe express deep concern over the approach taken, which goes against scientific evidence and the protection of public health.
While some changes in relation to previously leaked versions appear to have removed explicit references to accelerating the approval processes for synthetic food which would like to disguise itself in “novel foods”— hiding the interests of large multinational agribusinesses—several negative elements remain.
Chief among them is the downplaying of the risks associated with ultra-processed products.
The document seems to pave the way for the promotion of such products, citing alleged benefits in terms of sustainability or accessibility, while ignoring the well-documented harm they pose to human health. The reference to these risks is weak and completely inadequate in light of the growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed foods to increased rates of obesity, non-communicable diseases, metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, and cancer.
And this becomes even more serious at a time when the EU is engaged in discussions within the United Nations ahead of the adoption of the Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases, scheduled for next September. It is paradoxical that it was the United States — a country where over 60% of the population is obese — that brought the issue of ultra-processed and highly formulated food consumption to the UN as one of the main causes to be addressed in the fight against non-communicable diseases. Meanwhile, the European Union, which should be a champion of a balanced diet based on natural and healthy foods, seems to be accepting the agenda of major food multinationals, questioning a vast and well-established body of scientific literature on the harms of UPFs and the benefits of alternative dietary models.
Similarly, we raise serious concerns about how the issue of innovation aimed at producing synthetic food is being addressed. The health of European citizens cannot be treated as a marginal constraint or something to be merely “not compromised.”
It must be the top priority.
For this reason, we find it unacceptable to accelerate the commercialization of foods derived from such new technologies before all necessary clinical and pre-clinical studies are completed—based on independent and transparent scientific evidence ensuring their true safety. In the same sense the European Parliament COMITRE Initiative recently stated.
In this context, it is essential that the “Food Dialogue” and scientific consultation spaces outlined in the Strategy are genuinely inclusive and pluralistic.
Eat Europe and Farm Europe, representing the agricultural and food sector anchored in European agricultural and food values and gathering a broad network of independent experts, doctors, and scientists are ready to actively contribute to bringing the voice of independent science and public health into the European debate.
A credible European Life Sciences Strategy must prioritize health, transparency, and quality. We cannot accept that it be used to reinforce industrial models based on artificial or ultra-processed foods.
O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Farm Europe.
