Translated by AIVersione italiana
Key points
4′ min read
Translated by AIVersione italiana
Almost 100,000 people took part across 71 participating hospitals in all Italian regions, alongside over a thousand farms, dozens of regional institutions and health authorities, working together with doctors, nutritionists and volunteers to uphold a simple principle: prevention starts at the dinner table. This is the outcome of “Campagna Amica per la Salute”, the initiative promoted by Coldiretti, the Campagna Amica Foundation and the Aletheia Foundation, which has involved some of Italy’s and Europe’s leading hospitals, from the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital and the Isola Tiberina – Gemelli Isola in Rome to the Niguarda and the IRCCS National Cancer Institute Foundation in Milan; from the Gaslini in Genoa to the Sant’Orsola Malpighi in Bologna; and on to the Policlinico in Bari, the Ospedali Civili in Palermo, the Sant’Obon Pausilipon Children’s Hospital in Naples, the San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Florence, the Città della Speranza Children’s Hospital in Padua and the Annunziata Civil Hospital in Cosenza.
Institutional meeting at the Gemelli
The day began with an institutional meeting at the Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic, the first hospital to launch the project in partnership with Coldiretti, the Campagna Amica Foundation and the Aletheia Foundation. ““We are tired of seeing patients with conditions that could be prevented,” said Antonio Gasbarrini, scientific director of the Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation and chair of the scientific committee of the Aletheia Foundation. “We know that nutrition is crucial, especially in the first twenty years of life. The science of the microbiome has shown us that health is not merely the absence of molecular disease: it is the resilience of a complex biological ecosystem, shaped by what we eat, the environment in which we live and the experiences we go through.” For this reason, Gasbarrini added, “bringing a farmers’ market to seventy Italian hospitals is not merely a publicity stunt, but proof that the integration of protective food environments and healthcare infrastructure is possible today”.
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The findings of a Coldiretti/Censis Istant report
On the other hand, according to a Coldiretti/Censis Instant Report entitled “Eat well to live better” and presented today as part of the initiative, 97 per cent of Italians consider healthy eating essential for preventing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, but they often find it difficult to distinguish between food that is good for them and food that is bad for them. Consequently, 88% of citizens want to know the true origin of a food product and its ingredients
“When we eat food, we need to be just as certain as when we take medicine. Today, the leading causes of death are chronic non-communicable diseases, which share a common risk factor: diet,” added Rocco Bellantone, president of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. “Health is built above all in the contexts of everyday life; investing in prevention also means having an impact on the sustainability of the National Health Service.”
The consumption of ultra-processed foods
According to the Coldiretti/Censis report, 58 per cent of parents acknowledge that their children tend to abandon a balanced diet as soon as they have the chance, whilst the same percentage are in favour of limiting the consumption of ultra-processed foods. For Daniele Piacentini, Director-General of the A. Gemelli IRCCS University Polyclinic Foundation, “promoting a culture of healthy eating means reducing health risks and building a model that puts people’s wellbeing at the centre.”
“With this initiative,” emphasises Vincenzo Gesmundo, General Secretary of Coldiretti, “we are demonstrating, thanks to the scientific contribution of the more than 70 hospitals involved, that food is one of the most effective tools for prevention. Food that is good for you: healthy, natural, traceable and of high quality. The exact opposite of the food that makes us ill – the result of manipulation and deception – such as oil sold as extra virgin when it isn’t, wheat treated with glyphosate that ends up on our tables, and all those highly processed products that are particularly harmful to young people.”
Products emblematic of the Mediterranean Diet, from a thousand farmers
Over a thousand farmers brought the signature products of the Mediterranean Diet to hospitals – extra virgin olive oil, fruit and vegetables, pulses, cereals, citrus fruits and nuts – whilst specialists explained the crucial role of diet in preventing major chronic diseases and the risks associated with the growing consumption of ultra-processed foods. “Our farmers,” concludes Ettore Prandini, president of Coldiretti, “can vouch for the quality – and therefore the health benefits – of the produce they bring to markets, hospitals or anywhere else. This project represents a major alliance between the health sector, agriculture, institutions, schools and research, based on a simple yet revolutionary conviction: investing in prevention means investing in the country’s future.”
The importance of a healthy lifestyle
According to the president of the Aletheia Foundation, Stefano Lucchini, “the fact that we are present in more than 70 hospitals across Italia today demonstrates the significance of this initiative. It is important to educate the public to adopt healthy lifestyles, starting with diet. In hospitals as well as in schools, by investing in the younger generation, we want to raise awareness by highlighting the benefits of a varied and balanced diet.”
The initiative also had significant institutional implications, with the signing of memoranda of understanding between Coldiretti’s regional federations, regional authorities and health authorities, aimed at ensuring the continuity of food education and prevention projects. Of particular note are the agreements signed with the Veneto Region and Niguarda Hospital in Milan
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