EUFIC granted EU4Health Programme for the second time to promote public health in Europe

Last Updated : 01 May 2023

The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) is proud to win the EU4Health (EU4H) Programme operating grant for 2023 as part of the EU's largest programme to boost public health in Europe, supporting the development of stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems. EU4H is managed by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), and it is aimed at improving and fostering health in the European Union.

Building on the successful work of last year's Operating Grant, the structural funding will support EUFIC to continue making a lasting contribution to empowering healthy and sustainable diets across Europe. Under the banner "Food Facts for Healthy Choices", the grant will deliver a unique and important contribution to the EU4H Programme's objectives, focusing on health promotion and disease prevention, as well as international health initiatives and cooperation. EUFIC's campaigns will include its own digital channels, media and stakeholder engagement, as well as events and consumer research activities. The organisation will continue to work closely with a wide network of multipliers, including journalists, science communicators, social media influencers, non-governmental organisations, and institutional partners across Europe.

The Operating Grant 2023 will boost the development of EUFIC's core activities with a work programme that covers activities across EUFIC's four priority areas:

1. To increase citizen's health literacy and build trust in science at large, EUFIC will:

• expand the organisation's portfolio of capacity training on science communication, storytelling and social media
• organise a session on food science engagement and education at the FENS Congress in November 2023
• organise an event providing communication recommendations for food system transformation
• pro-actively engage with journalists across Europe, for example, by providing rapid interventions on misleading headlines in the news
• implement a social media campaign to improve consumer's food and health science literacy and recognition of online misinformation
• keep building an online network of exchange for food and health actors to work together beyond silos in the Sustainable Food System Network (SFSN)

2. To inspire and inform the healthy and sustainable diet shift, EUFIC will:

• collaborate with Caritas Trieste to understand hurdles and barriers to adopting sustainable and healthy diets in vulnerable populations
• promote plant-based diets via EUFIC's plant-based cooking guide and an influencer co-creation campaign

3. To promote health and support the prevention of diet-related non-communicable diseases, EUFIC will:

• engage media to increase awareness of the link between diets and the risk of non-communicable diseases and health benefits or risks of certain foods via ready-to-use content packages
• continue to inspire an increase in pulses, fruit and vegetable
• consumption, as well as encourage the reduction of salt and sugar through engaging social media content and collaborations
• promote the consumption of whole grains via social media campaigns and collaborations
• engage the public on the topic of microbiomes, e.g., during World Microbiome Day 2023

4. To empower the reduction of food waste at the household level, EUFIC will:

• develop a food waste quiz to assess knowledge and skills on food-related household practices and routines, and provide personalised tips and materials to improve specific practices
• launch a social media campaign on food waste timed with FAO's International Day of Awareness and Action on Food Loss and Waste on 29 September 2023
• run a pan-European survey on the cultural differences in how people relate to food waste
• complement food waste activities with a high-level event organised jointly by EUFIC, the World Sustainable Urban Food Centre Valencia (CEMAS) and FAO Brussels

 

ENDS

 

About EUFIC

EUFIC - The European Food Information Council, is a consumer-oriented non-profit organisation, founded to make the science behind food and health more accessible and easier to understand among the public. Building on over 25 years of excellence in science communication, EUFIC helps bridge the gap between science, institutions and the public, build trust, and inspire and empower citizens to adopt healthier and more sustainable diets and lifestyles.

For more information about EUFIC, visit Eufic.org. You can learn more about the organisation's work done in 2022 in the Annual report.

 

Press Contacts:

• Marie-Christine Thurm
• Senior Communication Manager, European Food Information Council (EUFIC)
• marie-christine.thurm@eufic.org