Health EU Commissioner Várhelyi: “the famous wine glass a day during meals is not bad”

While, the debate about labels with healthy risks reawakens regularly starting from those from Ireland, and which sees out Italians out out of ten contrary, according to a survey Coldiretti/Ixè, Health European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi restates how “healthy and balanced” Mediterranean Diet including the famous “daily wine glass”, which during the meals, “is not bad”. And, he does that from Vinitaly 2025, edition No. 57 (up to April, 9th), where, in his visit to Verona with Agriculture EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen, underlined how “food and wine don’t concern only sustenance and survival, but they are also what makes our life pleasant. Central elements of our European heritage – he said during meeting “Vino e salute: consumo responsabile per una dieta bilanciata” - “Wine and health: responsible consumption for a balanced diet” to the Minister of Agriculture – and, wine incarnates an European tradition which developed in thousands of years. The same Vinitaly is a historical event rooted in Italian wine tradition”.
Várhelyi recalls the importance of correctly informing consumers, and mentions Italian example: “when one talks about public health – he said – it is fundamental not only to adopt good policies, but also manage to positively influence people behavior. Italy is an optimal example: more or less, all Italians all over the world follow the Mediterranean Diet, and make 3 or 4 meals in this way every day. The choice to consume or not a wine glass with the meal is a personal decision, but we can’t forget that wine can be part of a balanced nutrition. And, that studies demonstrated how wine consumption has beneficial effects on diabetes, cardiovascular illnesses. The right balance doesn’t impede longevity. When one talks about wine, the reference is not only to alcohol, but one talks about a unique product which can also have positive effects, for example on microbiota”.
Longevity which has been the theme of the undersecretary for Health Marcello Gemmato: “in this classification, we are the second country after Japan – he underlined – countries of our same cultural and research level have a higher death rate. And, the only distinctive element between us, and the others is the nutrition, therefore, adhering to a correct lifestyle makes certain pathologies be not acclaimed, and 80 years of life are overcome more easily. Sustainability elements also regarding the National Health Service”. The concept of balance returns to be central: “abuse is not the parameter of reference, but the moderate and aware use. Wine consumption is heritage of Mediterranean Diet, an unicum which is part also of sociality and conviviality. Defend it means wanting to defend the health of Italians”.
On the contrary, Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida returned back to labels with health warnings defining them as “misleading”: “duties don’t thrill us, but also criminalization weakens wine. And, it is here that we have to act together with Europe. It is okay to inform consumer, but, exactly for this reason, we have to inform him/her that wine is not bad regardless. The task of the European Union is to ensure the free trade of goods, not stigmatize a product with labels. Brussels has to act on those countries which will make labels of this type”.
With the wish to find a shoulder both with Health European Commissioner Várhelyi, and that of Agriculture Christophe Hansen: “we will work together on themes such as wellness and health not to push our model towards productive suicide by criminalizing our most precious goods. Wine is conviviality, and also that is good for health, if we are among the countries which consume more wine per person, and we are also among those with the highest rate of longevity, it can’t be a case”.
President Veronafiere Federico Bricolo, Health Undersecretary Marcello Gemmato, and dg Oiv - International Organization of Vine and Wine John Barker took part in the event.