Don't shy away from regulating food, alcohol and tobacco to tackle Europe's biggest threat to society — chronic diseases — says the head of Austria's food and drugs agency. — An expert panel in Germany hands down a proposal to reward pharmaceutical companies that invest in Germany through clinical trials or manufacturing. — One MEP remains unconvinced on a critical patent proposal on the table for the Biotech Act following a roundtable of industry and European officials. Welcome to Wednesday’s Morning Health Care! Seven coffees, two schnitzels, two paninis, a lemon tart and a heaping of scrambled eggs later, and that’s a wrap on our first 24 hours in Gastein.
Another week like this and Claudia and I might need to take a closer look at the Commission’s heart health screening recommendations we’ve written so much about after we get back to Brussels … Get in touch: [email protected], [email protected]. Follow us on X: @chiappa_claudia,@domgiannini_ RAMPING UP PREVENTION: Governments should focus on regulating key unhealthy ingredients instead of getting caught up in the “complex” debate on ultra-processed foods, according to Johannes Pleiner-Duxneuner, managing director of the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety. Prevention: Preventing growing rates of chronic diseases is one of the main areas governments should focus on “because non-communicable diseases, diabetes, obesity are the main threats for our society,” he told Morning Health Care on the sidelines of the European Health Forum in Gastein, Austria.
But but but: discussions on prevention can get complicated, he said, for example when trying to tackle ultra-processed foods. The key is to keep it simple, Pleiner-Duxneuner said. I think these are the main killers.” Zooming out: Brussels is currently a hotspot for the prevention debate, with discussions on how to tackle ill health caused by industries such as food, alcohol and tobacco often heating up.
Earlier this week, MEPs clashed over language describing the impact of alcohol on cancer in a parliamentary cancer report. Some lawmakers argued industry profits were being put before people’s health. But it’s not just alcohol: Lawmakers are struggling to figure out how to nail down the best measures to reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods and tobacco.
The debate on UPFs is gaining momentum, with the European Commission recently asking its Scientific Advice Mechanism to assess how UPFs should be defined, their health effects and consumption patterns. And tobacco regulation continues to divide countries as the EU mulls a proposal to raise taxes on cigarettes and set minimum levies for vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches. The sugar debate: More countries are introducing sugary drink taxes in an attempt to curb consumption amid soaring obesity rates, particularly among children.
The measures are backed by the World Health Organization, which says “… taxes are one of the strongest tools we have for promoting health and preventing disease.” The German government is planning to introduce a new tax on sugary drinks starting in 2027, while the U.K., for example, has had one for years. Pleiner-Duxneuner said he’s a “fan” of the U.K.’s sugar tax: “From a scientific clinical point of view, there is no reason not to implement it in other European countries.” Tricky: Though Austria does not currently have a sugar tax, the topic often enters the public and political debate — though it receives pushback from industry, Pleiner-Duxneuner said. And it’s key to meet children where they are: social media.
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