Today, EPHA joined a coalition of 20 other civil society organisations, health associations, and organisations representing medical professionals in addressing an open letter to the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi. The letter calls for immediate, comprehensive EU policy action to tackle unhealthy food environments and address the heavy burden of diet-linked non-communicable diseases.
While the coalition welcomes the European Commission’s forthcoming study on Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs), the message to Commissioner Várhelyi and fellow Commissioners is clear: policymakers must not delay action on what we already know. Today’s food environments are inherently stacked against healthy diets. Unhealthy, ultra-processed products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) dominate marketing, shop shelves, and online spaces, while affordable, healthy whole foods remain out of reach for many—rendering the concept of “free choice” an illusion, particularly for lower-income households.
Immediate Policy Demands
Pending the outcomes of the UPF study, the coalition urges the European Commission to take a whole-portfolio approach and implement immediate measures:
Protect children: Ban or significantly restrict the marketing and advertising of HFSS foods to minors, both online and offline.
Improve school environments: Strengthen public food procurement and the EU School Scheme to ensure children have access to healthy meals.
Clearer information: Introduce mandatory, science-based front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
Financial reorientation: Redirect public subsidies and EU farm product promotion funds away from HFSS foods and toward making healthy options affordable and accessible.