The strengths and weaknesses of the proposed fund: the new
European Aid Fund for the Most Deprived, although broader in
scope, is no replacement for full-fledged policies on food and
nutrition poverty. On 25 October 2012, the European Commission
released its proposal for a new Fund for European Aid to the
Most Deprived (FEAD). The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA)
welcomes the Commission’s renewed efforts to broaden the scope
of the programme beyond emergency food provision to also include
clothing and essentials to Europe’s homeless and most-deprived
children. Yet, EPHA calls for the proposal to include objectives
like improved nutritional profile of foods, fight against non-
communicable diseases (1) and health inequalities reduction.
EPHA is also concerned that this scheme could displace other
overarching solutions to poverty that address the underlying
causes of poverty in a more sustainable fashion, and that the
funds earmarked fall short of the urgency of the current
situation. Europe has 80 million