On behalf of the Ordine dell’Universo (‘Order of the Universe’)on support of healthy and environmentally friendly food systems and lifestyles 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has revealed the urgent need for a way of life more in line with human needs and environmental conservation, the petitioner stresses the importance of nutrition and of using natural resources such as soil, water, etc. for this purpose. Reporting a series of worrying data on causes of mortality and the degradation of public health prior to the pandemic (diseases of the circulatory system, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases), as well as the growing incidence of obesity among the population, including children (Italy is apparently the 2nd worst classified in the EU for obesity in children of between seven and eight years, see below), the petitioner – who is Chair of a nutrition advice association – calls for legal provisions to be introduced, even in the Italian Constitution, on the right to ‘adequate food’. This would be related to the right to health and the protection of human dignity, which are under threat from all sides by malnutrition, both as a result of not enough or too much food. She therefore calls for an action plan for the prevention of malnutrition and public awareness of healthy food systems and good food conduct (including in production). She stresses that such good food ‘governance’ must overcome conflicts of interest, prioritising public health and well-being over the interests of the food industry. She thus urges the European institutions, when implementing this plan, to reduce the impact of the agriculture and livestock-farming system on the environment and health and to intervene as a mediator among the various stakeholders in the food sector to give priority to natural food ingredients.