The Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) is an international NGO on a mission to eliminate diet-related deaths globally. By making nutrition a core part of healthcare and by engaging health professionals in efforts towards healthy and sustainable food environments they are advancing the food transformation needed to mitigate the three largest global health crises: chronic disease, climate change, and pandemic risk.
Nutrition Edcuation
One in 5 premature deaths globally is due to poor nutrition. The current food system is also fuelling the climate crisis and pandemic risk. At the same time, physicians tend not to use the immense power of nutrition to prevent and treat disease in the first place. Their mission is to address this issue at the source and educate medical students and physicians about how nutrition can be used as an effective tool to treat their patients. Through empowering healthcare professionals with the tools, techniques, and know-how to treat their patients differently, PAN enables them to save more lives. The PAN Academy has an online learning platform that makes nutrition education accessible to everyone.
Food Systems
PAN also approaches the bigger global problems of the broken food system by engaging an international community and support network of physicians, dietitians, medical students, and other healthcare workers. Through combined efforts, they can influence policy-makers and change food environments for the good of human and planetary health.
They have a section of their website titled: “Lead the shift to healthier, more sustainable dietary patterns.” The Planetary Health Diet offers a practical, evidence-based blueprint for addressing some of the most urgent health and environmental challenges of our time. This section includes:
- a Planetary Health Diet factsheet to equip physicians (and others) with the essentials
- and information about the Dietary Guidelines Initiative (DGI) that supports governments and institutions in aligning national dietary guidelines with public health and environmental objectives, and includes a global network of experts in over 25 countries. They aim to transform 30 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) and nutrition policies by 2030, providing adaptable frameworks to guide their development in ways tailored to each region’s needs, resources, and cultural traditions.
Global Collaboration & Advocacy
PAN’s influence is expanding and they regularly establish new national branches around the world. By partnering with like-minded international colleagues they can work effectively at a local, national and international scale to maximise impact. They have established branches in various countries in Europe and beyond, and they continue to grow their reach globally. Their national branches are all registered non-profit organisations in their respective countries.
In 2018 PAN signed a joint open letter on the need for a strong proposal on an EU legislative framework for sustainable food systems.
By empowering healthcare professionals with the tools, techniques, and knowledge to treat their patients differently, PAN empowers them to enhance patient care and save lives around the world, while also protecting our planet and global resources.
2025 January, updated November
Transparency | Diversity | Dynamism | Evidence-based |