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Unhealthy eating contributes to Swiss illness

The Confederation wants healthy and sustainable food for all
The Confederation wants healthy and sustainable food for all Keystone-SDA

In Switzerland, 2.2 million people are affected by non-communicable diseases, partly because people are not eating a balanced diet, according to the Federal Office for Food Safety (OSAV).

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A balanced diet, sufficient physical activity and a healthy weight go a long way towards preventing illnesses such as diabetes, according to the OSAV. People eat too many sweets, salty snacks and fats, and not enough fruit, vegetables and legumes.

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This has consequences: 15% of children and adolescents and 43% of adults in Switzerland are overweight or obese. The way we eat also has an impact on the environment, not least because of food waste: in Switzerland, this amounts to 2.8 million tonnes a year.

The OSAV has taken these figures into account in its Swiss Nutrition Strategy 2025-2032, which focuses on health promotion and sustainability. The strategy aims to increase the population’s knowledge of nutrition, improve the supply of healthy foods and encourage research into food and foodstuffs.

Political and economic circles, the administration and private institutions are all involved. To implement the strategy, the OSAV intends to draw up an action plan with quantifiable measures and targets by the end of 2025.

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Translated from French with DeepL/mga

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