Imagine your body is like a car that has plenty of fuel but is missing a few drops of essential oil; it still runs, but slowly wears down over time. Many people in Europe have this 'hidden hunger' where they eat enough calories but lack vital vitamins and minerals. This project finds exactly who is missing what and why, so we can fix the diet gaps before they become serious health problems.
European food systems lack precise data on 'Hidden Hunger,' making it impossible for companies to develop targeted, cost-effective nutritional products for at-risk groups.
A data-driven evidence base including prevalence estimates of vitamin/mineral deficiencies and associated health costs.
If you are a fortified food manufacturer dealing with a lack of precise market data for nutrient gaps — this project developed evidence on the prevalence of mineral and vitamin deficiencies that allows you to create context-specific, tailored food solutions.
If you are a public health consultancy dealing with inefficient resource allocation — this project developed data on health burdens and costs of hidden hunger that helps you design cost-effective prevention programs.
If you are a bio-fortified crop producer dealing with uncertain demand for specific micronutrients — this project developed a map of priority biomarkers and intake data that identifies the most at-risk population subgroups.
Based on available project data, the project aims to provide the data necessary to estimate the costs to individuals and society, but specific implementation prices are not provided.
The project provides the evidence base for food system actors to deliver food-focused strategies, which can then be scaled by the 2 industry partners and other food producers.
Based on available project data, there is no specific information regarding IP or licensing agreements for the resulting datasets.
The project focuses on public health and nutrition policies within the EU to eradicate micronutrient deficiencies.
The project is active from 2024-01-01 to 2027-12-31.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward research and academia, with 16 university and research entities out of 21 partners. However, the inclusion of 2 industry partners and 5 SMEs suggests a bridge toward commercial application. The geographic spread across 12 countries ensures the data is representative of the European market.
Contact University College Cork
Contact us to get early access to the micronutrient deficiency datasets.
