24 November 2025
Jacardi

Preventia (NCDs Prevention and Health Promotion through Training, Networking and Awareness-Raising across the EU) addresses the urgent need to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by promoting healthier lifestyles and addressing health inequalities across the EU. The project aims to empower consumers through education and awareness raising.

The ambitious mission of the project is to improve health literacy, reduce the spread of NCDs, and foster cooperation between Member States to create long-term change. The consortium aims to help communities make better-informed food choices and work toward closing the health gap.

This EU-funded Action Grant launched in January 2024 and is being implemented over a 3-year period. The consortium held its kick-off meeting in Brussels on February 15, 2024. The project is led by Safe Food Advocacy Europe, and brings together committed partner organisations from Croatia, Lithuania, Greece, Italy, and Belgium.

Preventia employs practical, hands-on learning. It utilises key partnerships with schools, migration centres, NGOs and healthcare institutions to host activities. Strong foundations with local actors were established through:
• the rollout of trainings in schools located in disadvantaged areas;
• the launch of a twinning programme for medical centres to support peer learning;
• the development of toolkits for workshops with NGOs and healthcare professionals;
• the implementation of a culinary initiative involving migrants.

School trainings were kicked off in Greece, Croatia, and Italy in 2025, and culinary workshop with migrants were successfully held in Athens and Milan.

In November 2025, the project launched BiteWatch, an innovative mobile app designed to help consumers make healthier and better-informed choices when purchasing food products.

The app is now available in five languages on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and Lithuania. You can download it using the following links:

The consortium also carried out an assessment of NCD policies in partner countries, which is designed to inform an upcoming policy brief and public health guidelines.

Preventia is driving a new culture of prevention, which is grounded in knowledge, participation, and equity. The project’s work so far demonstrates that real lifestyle changes can follow when engagement and hands-on learning are combined with information.

Feedback received from the project has highlighted a pressing gap in nutritional education among students. This insight stresses the urgent need to embed prevention more deeply into the official school curriculum. Feedback revealed that many students reported daily sugar consumption far above EU recommendations. A child participating in the initiative reflected on the learning experience, stating: “I had never thought about how much sugar is in a juice or what a ‘balanced meal’ really means. I liked that we all ate together and talked about it”.

The culinary initiative successfully highlighted the role of food as not only a biological necessity but also as a means of coexistence, expression, and social inclusion.

Looking ahead, the project will run awareness campaigns to boost health literacy. Preventia will also organise workshops for NGOs and health professionals, specifically focusing on health promotion and diabetes prevention.

To stay connected and follow Preventia’s journey, you are invited to subscribe to the project newsletter or visit the project’s website.