How can we move forward in defining and acting upon healthy and sustainable diets in Europe? What role can science play to connect the nutritional and environmental silos that still dominate the public debate? These are some of the questions that will be addressed by the EUFIC conference Breaking silos: connecting the nutrition and environmental conversations.

The conference aims to serve as a platform for around 120 actors from academia, industry, civil society, associations, and policymakers and provide them with a neutral venue to exchange and learn.

“We want to bring together science-based perspectives contributing to a stronger collective sense of challenges, opportunities and solutions between different actors across the food chain. It is only by joining the health and environment-related aspects of food that we can empower people to make healthier and more sustainable food choices.”, said Laura Fernández Celemín, EUFIC Director General.

The conference will be moderated by Gertraud Leimüller, CEO of the consulting firm Winnovation, and include keynote speeches from Dr. Bente Mikkelsen, World Health Organization (WHO Europe), and Saskia de Pee, World Food ;To engage the audience and discuss in an open manner the key issues to future-proof the European food system and to improve people’s nutrition and health, Giks Weenink, Debate Academy, will lead a House of Commons debate on the ins and outs of ‘sustainability hypes’, including topics like meat versus plant-based food and natural versus processed food.