Tobacco, highly processed foods, fossil fuels and alcohol are responsible for 2.7 million deaths each year in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today, calling for stricter regulations from the authorities.

Those four industries “kill at least 7,000 people every day” in this WHO region, which includes 53 countries and stretches as far as central Asia, according to regional director Hans Kluge.

“Industry tactics include exploiting vulnerable people with targeted advertising campaigns, deceiving consumers and false assurances about the benefits of their products and their respect for the environment,” he underlines.

These tactics undermine the fight against non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, which account for four out of ten deaths in Europe.

For the WHO, by promoting their products, the giants of tobacco, food, fossil fuels and alcohol interfere in efforts to prevent and control diseases such as cancers or diabetes.

The practices of the big food groups fuel inequalities and also increase the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory chronic diseases, as well as diabetes.

They are a “major obstacle to prevention policies,” the WHO emphasizes, as they “maximize profits and endanger public health.”

Almost 60% of adults and almost one in three children in Geria Epirus are overweight or obese.

The most recent data (going back to 2017) also indicate that one in five deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease and cancer in Europe is due to unhealthy diet.

To protect citizens, the WHO recommends the implementation of stricter regulations on the marketing of products harmful to health, monopolistic practices, taxation of multinational companies and the exploitation of vulnerable populations in times of crisis.

“Human beings must always come before profit,” insisted Mr Kluge.

Globally, tobacco products, highly processed foods, fossil fuels and alcoholic beverages are responsible for about 19 million deaths annually, according to the organization.