Zero Hidden Hunger: Tackling Micronutrient Malnutrition and Hidden Hunger to improve Health in the EU

ABOUT ZERO HIDDEN HUNGER EU

Duration: 1st January 2024 – 31st January 2027

Coordinator: University College Cork (UCC, IE)

Project Partners: 19 partners, including four associated partners, from 12 countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Source of funding: Horizon, cofunded under HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01

AIM

Zero Hidden Hunger’s activities will focus on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in European populations including vulnerable or hard-to-reach groups. Strategies will be developed to address these persistent nutritional inequalities. Moreover, the effectiveness of these strategies will be compared economically with continued inaction. The project will also consider new approaches to assess MN deficiencies, as well as the bioavailability and metabolism of certain micronutrients, including the role of the human intestinal microbiome.

Role of EuroFIR AISBL in ZERO HIDDEN HUNGER

EuroFIR has a crucial role providing food composition data , specifically micronutrient content, to help identify and address nutritional deficiencies (WP3). In addition, we are responsible for data management and quality assurance (T3.2), which will estimate MN exposure and food sources in European habitual diets.

EuroFIR is leading dissemination, communication and education (WP8), which aim to raise awareness of micronutrient deficiencies in Europe, strategies to combat them, deliver continuing professional development resources for actors in the food and health systems (e.g., healthcare professionals, and foster ongoing collaboration in research. We are also leading impact and exploitation (WP9), managing innovation and identifying and supporting uptake of key exploitable results, promoting open science and data management, and determining factors influencing policy frameworks regarding micronutrient deficiencies.

Finally, EuroFIR is leading a gender equality (Task 1.6) to promote sex- and gender equity.