The first Mediterranean Day was celebrated on November 28, 2021, at the initiative of the 42 countries-the 27 EU member states and the 15 on the southern and eastern shores of the Mare nostrum-participating in the Union for Mediterranean(UfM).
PRIMA Foundation(The Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) organized a seminar on ‘The Future of the Mediterranean Diet: Challenges, Opportunities and Actions‘ on 25.11.21 in this context, with contributions from FAO and WHO.
It is imperative to achieve operational synergy with all stakeholders involved in the food and fish supply chains in order to impart a transformation marked by the sustainable development of food systems.
Union for Mediterranean
The Union for Mediterranean (UfM) is the intergovernmental organization established by signing a joint declaration by the heads of state and government of 42 countries on 13.7.08 at the special summit in Paris. (1)
The path of cooperation, dialogue and regional integration in the Euro-Mediterranean area had been initiated in 1995, with the Barcelona Process. And it has continued, despite the war disasters in Syria and Libya, with hundreds of local and international projects.
Isidro Gonzales – UfM deputy secretary general with responsibility for water resources, the environment and the blue economy – stresses the importance of strengthening cooperation on renewable energy, transportation, and the circular economy. Research and innovation should drive the development of the blue economy by sharing knowledge and skills to create value and jobs.
European Commission, Food 2030 project
The European Commission-through Karen Fabbri, deputy director of the Bioeconomy and Food Systems Unit-explains the Food 2030 project. EU policies for research and innovation in agrifood systems integrate the three pillars of economic, social and environmental sustainability in a from cradle to cradle logic. Primary production, processing, distribution and sale, consumption, but also management of packaging, secondary streams, co-products and waste.
There are four priorities : nutrition for healthy and sustainable diets, eco-sustainability of food systems, circular economy and resource efficiency. With innovation not only in technology but also in social, institutional and governance. The ten action plans aspire to achieve these goals by considering, among other things, needs related to:
– alternative protein sources, (2)
– Healthy nutrition, with attention to the microbiota as well,
– Resource efficiency and food waste reduction,
– Governance in systems transformation,
– Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, algae and microalgae.
Horizon 2020, European partnerships
The Europeanpartnership on food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment will stimulate investment and increase the social relevance, impact, acceptance and visibility of research and innovation.
The four macro-areas of intervention aspire to foster progress on people’s diets, food production, citizens’ relationship with food, and governance of food systems. The representative of the European Commission stresses the desirability of referring to the Horizon 2020 program to contribute to this transformation.
WHO, the double burden of malnutrition
WHO, through Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh, Regional Advisor Nutrition at the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO), points out the so-called double burden of malnutrition. In Mediterranean countries, Africa and Asia, overweight and obesity afflict about 50 percent of the population, and there is widespread malnutrition at the same time. Not only because of malnutrition, but also because of the spread of ultra-processed foods, with excess sugar or otherwise lacking essential nutrients and dietary fiber.
The overall goal of adequate nutrition is not achieved. Therefore, we need to invest in agriculture and processing, with incentives and regulations, to improve access to and availability of nutritious and balanced foods. Adopt public policies and guidelines to promote healthy eating, physical activity and reformulation ultra-processed foods. Effective nutrition labels-such as the NutriScore, which in fact meets WHO guidelines (3)-should help consumers choose the most balanced foods.
Food security, the great challenge
FAO through Jose Valles calls out the need for healthy and safe diets to be accessible to all, while respecting peoples’ cultures. La
food security
thus remains the great challenge, intimately linked to extreme poverty (#SDG2, #SDG1) but also to health needs (#SDG3).
Networks for research and innovation serve precisely to foster the efficiency and resilience of supply chains in a continuous and long-term logic, where healthy nutrition is matched by the livelihood of local communities. Just as is happening in
Camel Milk
, one of the H2020 projects in which our team is participating. (4)
Octavi Quintana, head of agribusiness policy in PRIMA, points out the factors that are associated with the great challenge of food security. Indeed, global population growth is coupled with climate change and water scarcity, desertification and overexploitation of natural resources, unsustainable agricultural practices, loss of agrodiversity and lack of agribusiness innovation in the Mediterranean. (5)
FIRST, sustainable nutrition and the Mediterranean diet
PRIMA, the Partnership for Food Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area, is a 10-year initiative (2018-2028) funded in part by the EU Horizon 2020 program. The main objective is to strengthen agrifood systems to ensure precisely the stability of food security and adaptation to climate change. Nineteen countries are participating (Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey).
Childhood obesity is a major source of concern because it is bound to affect the prevalence of seriousNon-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and public health. Obesity at age 7 to 8 years now affects 1 in 8 children in Europe, with higher rates in Cyprus, Italy, Greece, Malta and Spain. In the southeastern Mediterranean, Egypt and Turkey are among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest childhood obesity tax.
The Mediterranean diet, – recognized by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity, on 16.11.09 – must once again become part of the living habits of the people of this area. Through the consumption of natural and minimally processed foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, whole grains, legumes and olive oil, in addition to protein sources from various sources. But also in a broader sense, where diet is framed within a healthy and frugal lifestyle that respects the cycles of nature and the environment. Culture, health, sustainable development.
Dario Dongo and Isis Consuelo Sanlucar Chirinos
Notes
(1) Joint Declaration of the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean. Paris, 7/13/08, https://ufmsecretariat.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/ufm_paris_declaration1.pdf
(2) Dario Dongo. Microalgae and insects, the search for sustainable proteins in Horizon 2020. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 5/27/20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/innovazione/microalghe-e-insetti-la-ricerca-di-proteine-sostenibili-in-horizon-2020
(3) Dario Dongo. Codex Alimentarius, the NutriScore and the WHO guidelines. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 9/29/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/etichette/codex-alimentarius-il-nutriscore-e-le-linee-guida-who
(4) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Camelid milk, Mediterranean perspective. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 8.9.21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/latte-di-camelidi-prospettiva-mediterranea
(5) Dario Dongo. The world in 2050, transformations needed. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.11.18, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/il-mondo-nel-2050-trasformazioni-necessarie
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
Graduated in food engineering at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, she is attending the master's degree in 'Food Safety Lawyer and Consultant' at Alma Mater, University of Bologna.
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