Plan underway to combat cardiovascular diseases, the main cause of death in the European Union.
The European Commission is preparing a plan to combat cardiovascular diseasesincluding the introduction of a European tax on highly processed foods and sweet alcoholic drinks.
The proposal appears in the first draft of the plan, to be officially presented in December, according to , and aims to encourage healthier eating among consumers.
According to the document initially reported by , a “microtaxa“Carefully structured approach could influence food choices without generating excessive financial burden and at the same time motivate manufacturers to develop healthier products. Revenues from this levy would be exclusively directed towards health promotion programs across the EU.
In addition to fees, the plan provides for a updating European tobacco legislation by 2027 and the creation of a European classification system for processed foods. The global objective is to reduce mortality from cardiovascular diseases by 20% by 2035, through combined measures of regulation, information and incentives for healthy eating.
The Commission recalls that the cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of death in the European Unionwith more than 1.7 million deaths annually and economic costs exceeding 280 billion euros. Studies cited in the plan associate high consumption of processed foods with increased risk of obesity, diabetes and metabolic diseases.
