The Ministry of Health wants to regulate the consumption of wine and beer from the daily menus that are served in the canteens of public organizations and institutions in order to promote healthy lifestyle habits within the framework of the Mediterranean diet.
Health has explained that these are regulations and recommendations in the field of canteens in public buildings, not prohibitions, and even less in the daily menus of private restaurants, as, according to a complaint, some media have published.
The Ministry of Health has presented this Wednesday its new Cardiovascular Health Strategy (ESCAV) in the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (SNS), whose objective is to improve the cardiovascular health of the population and promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits .
In the ESCAV, the Ministry of Health explains, in point 13, that “it wants to regulate the presence and content of food and drinks in cafeterias and vending machines of public administration institutions and in all educational centers, public or private , so that healthy products and alcohol-free beverages are mostly offered”.
Also, below, in point 14, it states its willingness to “collaborate with catering establishments to promote the Mediterranean diet as a heart-healthy eating model, without including alcohol consumption”.
Therefore, Health “From the Ministry of Health we reiterate that it is false information that bars and restaurants are going to be forced not to offer wine or beers on their menus,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Instead, Health explains that the Strategy establishes “recommendations for healthy habits and does not contemplate prohibitions of any kind.” “Therefore, it is false that drinks such as wine or beer are going to be eliminated from the menus of the day,” they insist on the matter.
Likewise, the Ministry has charged against some information that did not make it clear if it was a recommendation or a regulation. “The dissemination of untrue information of this type harms the dissemination of messages related to disease prevention and health promotion,” they lament.
The new Cardiovascular Health Strategy of the National Health System (ESCAV) aims to “improve the cardiovascular health of the population and promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits”.
The strategy contains various lines of action, such as improving cardiovascular health outcomes and quality of life, raising awareness and training the population in cardiovascular health, optimizing the multidisciplinary approach, promoting healthy lifestyles and prevention in cardiovascular health, the implementation of continuity of care and approach to comorbidities, and the training and education of the professionals involved, among others.
Healthy nutrition
Likewise, it is committed to the reduction of smoking, the empowerment of citizens in cardiovascular health and the improvement of the control of arterial hypertension. It also includes proposals for improvement in early diagnosis, health care network, multidisciplinary units and cardiac rehabilitation.
The document has been unanimously approved by the Institutional Committee made up of representatives of all the CCAAs and autonomous cities, and also by the Scientific Committee, which includes various scientific societies.
However, some, such as the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC), have been skeptical of the Strategy and asked in February that it not remain on “leaf paper”: “It is very ambitious, but we do not want it to happen as with the Cardiopathy Plan Ischemic, of which only a minimal part was carried out. For this reason, the SEC makes itself available to the Ministry of Health to help it be carried out”.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Spain, with 119,853 deaths in 2020 according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), as well as one of the main causes of hospital admission. Both beer and wine consumption, to any degree, is associated with an increased risk of heart problems.
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