The sixth edition of the EGEA conference will be held in Brussels on 5-7 May 2010. The main theme of this year’s conference is the social and health benefits of a balanced diet, with a particular focus on the role of fruit and vegetables among low income populations.
EGEA 2010 will be co-chaired by Professor Ibrahim Elmadfa, director and professor at the Institute of Nutritional Sciences, University of Vienna, Austria, and Lars Hoelgaard, deputy director general at the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission, Belgium.
In a press release, EGEA scientific coordinator Saida Barnat stated that fruit and vegetables were 'an important part of a balanced diet and associated with various positive health outcomes. In particular increasing their consumption is an important public health strategy for weight management and reduction of chronic diseases risk.'
The need to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among low income groups is evident in the programme. Ms Sarnat commented: 'The objective of this conference is to find out salient determining factors, internal or external to the individuals, in order to define the rationale for interventions aimed at improving fruit and vegetable consumption in young and adult European low income populations.'
