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EFAD Budapest Resolution: A Unified Commitment
The European Federation of Dietitians (EFAD), representing dietitians from 27 European countries, held its annual General Meeting in Budapest, Hungary on October 22, 2022. At the end of the assembly, which brought together national dietetic organisations, European dietitians issued a professional manifesto, the Budapest Resolution.
The Budapest Resolution stresses that everyone has the right to adequate food and to be free from hunger, which is in line with the International Declaration on the Human Right to Food. The Resolution strongly recommends that dietetic care should be an integral part of nutritional care to ensure no one is left behind.
Budapest ResolutionEFAD’s Commitment to a Healthier Europe
Optimal nutritional care helps in preventing and reducing the risk of diseases, reduces length of hospital stays, improves the effectiveness of clinical treatment and the quality of life, and results in reduced healthcare costs. At the same time, food insecurity is associated with depression, reduced productivity, and increased healthcare costs, which can result in a disproportionate socioeconomic burden.
The Resolution states that dietitians are healthcare professionals with the expertise to plan, conduct and control nutritional therapy for preventive purposes and the treatment of nutritional disorders. However, their role extends beyond providing healthcare, in general, they are improving the nutritional environment for everyone by collaborating with governments, industry, academia and research.
The Resolution underlines that nutrition therapy is a cost-effective investment and dietitians are more efficient and effective in providing evidence-based nutrition advice than any other healthcare professional. It is highly recommended that the dietetic service should be provided within the existing healthcare system of each country and integrated into public health. In addition to healthcare, working with dietitians can achieve effective, equitable and sustainable changes in a country’s nutritional environment.
During the EFAD 33rd General Meeting, EFAD members endorsed the Budapest Resolution.
A list of those Member Associations which signed it onsite can be found here.
