Scientific evidence supporting the newly developed one-health labeling tool “Med-Index”: an umbrella systematic review on health benefits of mediterranean diet principles and adherence in a planeterranean perspective

Roberta Zupo, Fabio Castellana, Prisco Piscitelli*, Pasquale Crupi, Addolorata Desantis, Enrico Greco, Franca Paola Severino, Manuela Pulimeno, Andrea Guazzini, Tassos C. Kyriakides, Vasilis Vasiliou, Antonia Trichopoulou, Laura Soldati, Carlo La Vecchia, Giovanni De Gaetano, Maria Benedetta Donati, Annamaria Colao, Alessandro Miani*, Filomena Corbo, Maria Lisa Clodoveo

Journal of Translational Medicine 21, 755 (2023) 
October 2023
DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04618-1

Abstract:
Med-Index is a one-health front-of-pack (FOP) label, based on Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) principles, developed to summarize information about the nutritional properties and related-health benefits of any food as well as its sustainable production processes, and the associated food company’s social responsibility parameters in a new “Planeterranean” perspective. Thus, Med-Index can be adopted in and by any European region and authority as well as worldwide; this is achieved by consumption and cooking of locally available and sourced foods that respect MedDiet principles, both in terms of healthy nutrition and sustainable production. The huge body of scientific evidence about the health benefits of the MedDiet model and principles requires a comprehensive framework to encompass the scientific reliability and robustness of this tool. A systematic review was carried out to examine the association between human health and adherence to MedDiet patterns upon which the “Med-Index” tool was subsequently developed.