One of the main factors contributing to unhealthy diets, and by extension, to obesity, is unhealthy food environments, defined as the collective physical, economic, policy and sociocultural surroundings, opportunities and conditions that influence people’s food and beverage choices and nutritional status. To assess food environments and how policies and industry impact public health, STOP has just launched the INFORMAS Europe website. This will be an important resource for policy makers, researchers, health practitioners, and citizens.
The website is composed of two main sections: Food EPI and BIA Obesity. Food EPI is a tool and process to assess the extent of implementation of recommended food environment policies by national governments compared with international best practices and to derive priority actions to fill implementation gaps. BIA Obesity is a tool and process to measure the commitments, performance and disclosure practices of the major food companies at the national level. Both sections feature information on their research teams, the people, partners and countries involved, and how the process works. The findings of the two initiatives will be posted on the site as they become available.
