News and articles
Expired meat and rats: why, when faced with such serious cases, does consumer protection seem to become a secondary issue?
The average tree cover in European cities is currently 18.5%. Every 5 percentage points of urban canopy reduces PM2.5 concentrations by 2.8%, NO₂ by 1.4% and ozone by 1.2%. In health terms, this means around 4,700 premature deaths avoided each year in Europe. By bringing every city to at least 30% tree cover, the number of lives saved would rise to almost 12,000 each year. In 2019, urban trees have already “saved” around 24,800 people from dying prematurely due to air pollution.
The Italian contamination is almost certainly similar to the French one. But new rules are coming to our country: will they be enforced? That is the big question.
The WHO’s new therapeutic guidelines—as reported by Politico—include a conditional recommendation for the use of so-called GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro. More specifically, the WHO described its recommendation as “conditional” due to the limited data on the long-term effectiveness and safety of GLP-1s. Although GLP-1s are now an established treatment in high-income countries, the WHO fears they could reach less than 10% of the people who could benefit from them by 2030.
In recent years, labels have become the symbol of a broader battle: the fight for transparency. They are supposed to help us understand what we eat, where what we buy comes from, and what choices […]
In recent years, Europe has experienced scorching summers, unexpected floods, droughts and wildfires on a scale we did not know before—causing estimated economic losses of €738 billion between 1980 and 2023, including more than €162 billion in 2021–2023 alone (source: EEA). Many of the damages caused by these events often remain unresolved: felled trees that are not replaced, infrastructure that is never rebuilt, territories left to deteriorate. This creates a vicious circle: the lack of resources to repair damage increases vulnerability to future events, worsening the economic and social impact of disasters. Do we really still think all of this is “normal”?
In Italy, according to the international Waste Watcher Observatory, the average food waste per citizen stands at 555.8 grams per week, or more than 28.9 kg per year. This represents a decrease of 18.7% compared to 2024, but it continues to exceed the European average and remains far from the target of 369.7 grams per week set for 2030.
Cover photo: A climbing plant scorched by the heat in Albiate (MB). Drafted on July 7, updated on July 8, 2025. The story of environmental degradation in Albiate—illegal dumping, climate change, and reforestation—began in 2006. […]
If in the past all the signals from the Anglo-Saxon world on the subject have been negative (e.g.: In the USA obesity kills more than weapons) now, it seems, something is starting to “move”: yesterday’s news that the American FDA intends to put labels on the front of packages on salt, saturated fats etc. is an excellent signal also for Europe which is struggling to find its way on the subject.
It is the poorest segments of society that bear the brunt of ultra-processed food marketing—which leads to obesity, diabetes, and cancer. EU indecision harms the health of its citizens.
In the USA the first human death due to the H5N1 strain circulating in dairy farms has occurred
US to regulate labeling of ultra-processed foods but food industry is sure to push back citing “significant cost increases”
The known risk factors are sedentary behavior, diet, in addition to the increase in obesity and diabetes rates. And then there is an environmental problem, to be explored further. In the meantime, the European Commission has banned granules for synthetic grass: scrubs and cosmetics containing micrograins, glitter for make-up or detergents, glitter used in the world of stationery and toys.
Ultra-processed foods cause obesity, diabetes and cancer but the food industry – by recruiting compliant scientists, funding studies, pushing clever marketing messages and influencing politics – has been able to cook up a self-serving narrative that shifts blame for the harm their products cause.
Human health is linked to environmental degradation. “Clearly, drought will threaten food security, water insecurity will increase the risk of infectious disease transmission, and agricultural productivity will be jeopardized”. Public health indicators monitored by an international group of experts show that “the climate crisis is also a health crisis.
When, in the 1990s, I began my personal and corporate journey (at Esselunga) toward organic products, Dr. Claudio Arnoldi, the Quality Control Manager, told me that organic food had a primarily environmental value.
Today, 25 years later, there is growing evidence that consuming organic food has a health benefit—and that climate, environment, health, and food are all interconnected. Moreover, there is increasing discussion about an addiction to junk food (ultra-processed food), whose consumption has skyrocketed, leading to cancer, diabetes, and obesity, especially among young people.
The arguments of the soft drink manufacturers are not very credible because they can easily absorb the additional costs of recipes with less sugar, if we push them to develop them. Every evolution in favor of the health of consumers, against cancer and obesity, is simply blocked by their lobbying.
Even an apparently harmless product like dried fruit can hide potential health pitfalls, just being added some salt and especially glucose syrup (sugar) to make it more palatable
Poplars are ill-suited to cope with climate change for two reasons: their roots do not penetrate deeply enough to withstand the increasing water stress, and their height makes them vulnerable to the increasingly frequent storms, even in Brianza. In April, out of 271 poplars planted 25 years ago, 116 had died (271 – 155), almost half. I requested permission to replace them with lime trees in the Regional Park of the Lambro Valley but, to date, after several months of waiting, I have received no response.
Ultra-processed foods are gradually replacing foods tied to local cultures even in countries like Japan, in China Gen Z is getting married to karaoke or fast food and three out of five consumers in the world buy a low-cost ready-made food at least once a week, and one out of five does so every day, and the trend is increasing.
The piece begins by acknowledging that our food has turned into junk, especially in Northern countries – for example, in the United States, where obesity kills more than guns – and that eating too much packaged food might even cause cancer. Added to this is the fact that the eating habits of our youth could be one of the origins of the rising cancer rates among our children. Based on these premises, the Foundation will, over the coming months, address topics related to food, pollution, and certain diseases, including cancer. This article blends health protection with food history.
UNICEF: Citizens in poorer regions increasingly rely on cheaper ultra-processed foods and drinks. The alternatives are therefore: malnutrition and obesity.
On the land next to my house (about 25 hectares, of park open to all), from February 2023 to today, 123 trees have died: a silent but real massacre. In Italy in 2023, extreme events rose to 378, marking a +22% compared to 2022. The images and videos speak for themselves.
