[News] Four industries responsible for millions of deaths each year

A new report from the WHO Regional Office for Europe has described the devastating consequences of a political and economic environment that prioritises profit over public health. The tobacco, ultra-processed foods, fossil fuel, and alcohol industries are together responsible for a third of global mortality, amounting to some 19 million deaths every year, including 2·7 million in the WHO European region. But it is the system, rather than the individual actors, that WHO is now targeting. “There is a policy context that allows health-harming industries to thrive and cause an enormous burden of preventable death and disability”, explained Gauden Galea, Strategic Adviser to the Regional Director at WHO Europe (Copenhagen, Denmark).