Vienna conference on nutrition and noncommunicable diseases

WHO European Ministerial Conference on Nutrition and Noncommunicable Diseases in the Context of Health 2020

4–5 July 2013, Vienna, Austria

Tasty, nutritional food is key to good health and well-being. Yet today, poor diet, overweight and obesity contribute to a large proportion of noncommunicable diseases, which account for 8 out of 10 deaths in the WHO European Region.

• How can we prevent obesity from becoming a new norm for children?
• Does giving better information to consumers (for example, through product labelling) lead to a better diet?
• What support do people need at different stages of their lives to make healthy food choices?
• What difference do marketing controls, food prices, bans and subsidies make?

Health ministers, experts and representatives of civil-society and intergovernmental organizations will meet in Vienna on 4–5 July 2013 to raise such questions and discuss policies on diet, nutrition and physical activity to address them.

The increases in childhood obesity, marketing of unhealthy food and consumption of processed food high in salt, sugar and fat have resulted in an explosion in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Confronting this situation requires putting health at the heart of policy-making, following the principles of governance and equity set down in Health 2020, the European policy for health and well-being.

More info @ WHO-Europe.