Ultra-processed food and alcohol cause 2.7 million deaths per year – WHO

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ultra-processed foods (UPF), alcohol, tobacco and fossil fuels kill 2.7 million people in Europe every year.

Experts say “powerful industries” are causing ill health and premature deaths because they interfere with government policies and efforts to reduce cases of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

In a new report, WHO calls for “stringent regulations to curb industry power” and for governments to pursue health policies that are regularly “challenged, delayed, weakened or withheld” by industry.

The WHO said “more than 7,400 people die every day” in its European region from harmful products and practices “driven by commercial industries.”

It stated: “These commercial products cause 24% of all deaths, including significant mortality from cardiovascular disease (51.4%) and cancer (46.4%).”

Overall, the tobacco, alcohol, food and UPF fuel industries are wholly or partially responsible for 2.7 million deaths a year in Europe, according to the document.

Meanwhile, the global picture shows that tobacco, UPF, fossil fuels and alcohol cause 19 million deaths per year, or 34% of all deaths.

Analyzing the data, WHO found that 1.15 million deaths a year in Europe were caused by tobacco smoking, 426,857 by alcohol, 117,290 by a diet high in processed meat and 252,187 by a diet high in salt.

These numbers do not even include deaths caused by obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar or high cholesterol – all of which are related to unhealthy diets, he said.

The report called on governments to recognize industry tactics such as blaming individuals, marketing, spreading disinformation, social media promotions, lobbying and “debunking science”, for example by funding research to promote its goals.

The WHO stated that “the primary interest of all large corporations is profit” and that having a large market share “often also translates into political power”.

He added: “Whatever product they sell, their (industry) interests are aligned with neither public health nor the wider public interest.

“Any policy that could impact their sales and profits is therefore a risk and they should have no role in developing this policy.”

The report concluded that, with the exception of tobacco regulations, “global efforts to regulate harmful marketing have been disappointing at best.”

He added: “While legal measures exist in several countries in the WHO European region and around the world to regulate the marketing of alcohol and unhealthy food, they are often narrow in scope, focusing on specific media or environments, specific population groups or specific marketing activities. techniques and therefore do not provide sufficient protection.”

Moreover, voluntary codes where industry says it can regulate itself are ineffective, the WHO said:

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said: “Four industries kill at least 7,000 people every day in our region.

“The same large commercial entities are blocking regulations that would protect society from harmful products and marketing and protect health policy from industry interference.

“Industry tactics include exploiting vulnerable people through targeted marketing strategies, misleading consumers and making false claims about the benefits of their products or their environmental credentials.

“Such tactics threaten public health gains over the past century and prevent countries from achieving health goals.”

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, who initiated the study, said: “For too long we have believed that risk factors are mostly linked to individual choices.

“We need to reframe the problem as a systemic one, where policy must address ‘hyperconsumption environments’, restrict marketing and stop interfering in policymaking.”

In the UK, the Tobacco and Vaping Devices Bill – which would have restricted the sale of vapes to children and banned children from starting smoking – failed to pass parliament before being passed before the general election.

Plans to combat the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar and salt have also been pushed back to 2025.

Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at the free-market think tank Institute of Economic Affairs, said: “This is far-left political propaganda masquerading as public health research.

“The authors clearly oppose the market economy and trade liberalization and conclude that the solution is to “rethink capitalism.”

“They argue that “consumers do not have the ability (time or resources) to make the ‘right’ choice” and that the government should therefore make choices for them using the full apparatus of the nanny state.

“It is a sad indictment of the WHO for allowing this half-baked Marxism to be published on its behalf.”

Kendra Chow, policy and public affairs manager at the World Cancer Research Fund, who contributed to the report, welcomed the “uncompromising” study, adding that “public health must be prioritized over profits.”

Rebeca Fernsndez, chief science officer at FoodDrinkEurope, which represents the food and drink industry, said: “Connecting processed food consumption with the tobacco and fossil fuel industries is irresponsible and outrageously misleading. We all need food – and we all need processed food.

“Unfortunately, the WHO report fails to acknowledge the fact that there is no agreed definition of what ultra-processed food is, let alone its impact on health, which is why last year the UK government’s independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition concluded that the evidence so far supports it is not enough to use UPF terminology to define public health guidelines.

“Instead, established food nutrition science around the world tells us that the best way to fight obesity and non-communicable diseases is to focus on the nutritional value of the food and how often you eat it, combined with the type of lifestyle you lead.

“That’s why food and drink manufacturers in Europe are playing their part by reformulating products to reduce salt, fat and sugar, while increasing fiber and micronutrient content.”