Puglia health concerns rise as obesity rates impact adults and children

During a discussion at the Fiera del Levante titled ‘Defend our supply chains and the health of citizens’, Coldiretti Puglia highlighted concerning health statistics in the region. Data from the Obesity Monitor indicates that 13.2% of adults in Puglia suffer from obesity, while 35.9% of children aged 8-9 are overweight.

The forum brought together representatives from agriculture, medicine, academia, and government institutions to emphasize the link between food quality and public health. Participants argued for the importance of an alimentation based on safe, traceable, and high-quality agricultural products with certain origins.

Alfonso Cavallo, president of Coldiretti Puglia, stated that citizen health and farmer income are two sides of the same supply chain, noting that defending the quality and traceability of production protects both producers and consumers.