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New CoDiet Report Examines Implementation of Food Environment Policies Across Europe

A study conducted by CoDiet teams from Imperial College London and Sciensano has uncovered significant gaps in implementing food-related policies across six European countries which may impact efforts to reduce diet-related health inequalities. 

It is understood that diets both rich in sugar, saturated fat and salt (HFSS foods) and low in fruits and vegetables, play an important role in the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The study examined how policies in Estonia, Finland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Slovenia might contribute to reducing NCDs, which pose one of the greatest public health challenges in the European Union.

Building on prior research  

The CoDiet study builds on previous policy benchmarking efforts undertaken in the H2020 Science and Technology in Childhood Obesity (STOP) and Policy Evaluation Network (PEN) projects. 

The Health Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) was developed to evaluate the level of food policy and infrastructure support across 11 European countries and was used in this study to evaluate what additional policies have been implemented by the six selected countries – of which there have been few. 

Professor Franco Sassi, Imperial College London, said: 

“We found that the majority of policies are still not mandatory and many of them are not monitored frequently, making it hard to evaluate the impact of these regulations. However, we did find the most promise of impact was shown in policies targeting composition of HFSS foods, taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages, provision of meals in schools and restriction of marketing to children.”  

Next steps

Based on the study’s insights, the next phase of CoDiet will focus on further evaluation by researchers at Sciensano and Imperial College London of the most promising policies analysed through qualitative and quantitative simulations to model their impact on dietary outcomes and health inequalities. 

The next steps involve in-depth interviews with stakeholders in the selected countries, using causal loop diagrams to examine how specific policies such as salt reduction regulations, sugary beverage taxation, marketing restrictions and school food provisions affect population diets. Insights from the interviews will guide the development of effective policy recommendations aimed at creating healthier food environments across Europe. 

Dr Stefanie Vandevijvere, Sciensano, said: 

“Our goal is to provide policymakers with compelling evidence on the potential of key interventions to improve population diets and reduce health inequities. By closely evaluating these policies and engaging with relevant stakeholders, we aim to develop concrete and targeted recommendations that not only improve population nutrition but also narrow the gaps in health inequalities across countries.” 

Read the full report here.