Last week, Paolo Di Stefano, Executive Director of Eat Europe, took part in the high-level conference on Nutrition, Health and the Agrifood Sector hosted by the Fundación Ortega-Marañón in Madrid. The event brought together leading experts from the worlds of medicine, agriculture, and policy to examine the vital links between food production, public health, and nutrition.

In his intervention, Paolo Di Stefano underlined that high quality food, education and knowledge, science based policies and a strong agrifood sector are the essential foundations for a healthy diet. He highlighted the need for EU food policies that start from the field—placing farmers, producers, and local value chains at the heart of efforts to promote better nutrition for all citizens across Europe.

The programme also featured a keynote speech by Dr. Antonio Escribano Zafra, renowned expert in sports nutrition, who presented the scientific foundations for a food-based approach to health. He highlighted the irreplaceable role of high-quality,  unprocessed or minimally processed foods—such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, and animal products—in supporting both general health and athletic performance. His message was clear: good nutrition does not come from supplements or substitutes, but from real food, and that food must come from a robust and well-supported agrifood sector.

A roundtable discussion, moderated by Rafael Navas Ferrer (ASAJA Córdoba), also gathered other insightful contributions.

Eat Europe thanks the Fundación Ortega-Marañón for this opportunity to contribute to such a timely and valuable debate on how Europe can build better food systems—anchored in sustainable production and healthy nutrition.