Medical Nutrition International Industry
MNI
MNI was founded by leading international companies in specialized medical nutrition.
ID: 021098528481-42
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Laurent Castillo (Member of the European Parliament)
25 Jun 2025 · Nutrition
Meeting with Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (Member of the European Parliament)
5 Feb 2025 · EU Policy
Meeting with Estelle Ceulemans (Member of the European Parliament) and Specialised Nutrition Europe
9 Dec 2024 · Dossier SANT à venir
Response to A comprehensive approach to mental health
15 Feb 2023
Nota bene: All statements and data are supported by scientific articles / evidence listed in the attachment. Nutritional care including malnutrition screening should be part of the support to people with mental and neurological disorders. Disease-related malnutrition - in this context simply referred to as malnutrition - occurs when patients are not able to meet their nutritional needs via the normal diet due to diseases, ageing and/or side-effects of medical treatment. It is common across a variety of patient groups, e.g., in patients with cancer, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and neurological disease. Patients with neurological conditions or following a stroke may not be able to swallow or feed themselves. Malnutrition is found to be common in people with intellectual disability and mental health problems with prevalence of underweight or of malnutrition risk of approximately 19%. As much as a third of psychiatric patients are at risk of malnutrition. A study found that the prevalence of malnutrition and its risk in patients in mental health units differed with different diagnoses: ~ 12.5% in patients with bipolar disorder; ~ 21.1% in patients with schizophrenia; ~ 55.6% in patients with major depression. Malnutrition is a condition that affects 33 million people in Europe, and it costs an estimated 170 billion a year to European countries. Malnutrition impacts individuals at all stages of life, from infancy to old age. It has a negative impact on growth and development impairment in children. In a dedicated study on malnutrition screening in hospitalised children, the highest prevalence of chronic malnutrition was seen in children with neurological disease (31%). Being at risk of malnutrition causes a higher severity of symptoms and lower functioning. It has been recognised that the nutritional status has an impact on recovery from illness, mortality, and treatment complications, such as length of hospital stays and the rate of readmissions. Screening and early nutritional interventions for people with mental disorders is a key element of effective care: in particular, the nutritional support of those who are neurologically impaired should be addressed since the early stages of the disease. The nutrition care of children who are neurologically impaired is a challenge for the nutrition care team: many factors should be considered in the assessment and development of a nutrition plan. For optimal care, management should be done by a multidisciplinary team including a registered dietitian. Improved nutrition status results in improved health outcomes. Many children with neurological impairment would benefit from individual nutritional assessment and management as part of their overall care. The risk of malnutrition has been completely neglected to date. Stronger EU guidance is required to address persistent inconsistencies in malnutrition screening across Europe. Screening a patient for malnutrition takes only a few minutes, using tools validated by scientific societies. Optimal nutritional care can provide improvements in functional measures and quality of life of people with mental disorders. Routine assessment of patients nutritional status should be established as part of the treatment. Where patients are unable to sufficiently feed themselves, medical nutrition - to be used under medical supervision - allows them to sustain themselves during treatment, leading to better outcomes.
Read full responseResponse to European Critical Raw Materials Act
24 Nov 2022
The Medical Nutrition Industry International (MNI) welcomes this consultation as an opportunity to highlight the importance of planning for medical nutrition, an essential part of treatment and care. The consultation mentions the health industries in its introduction, which should not be limited to medical devices or in-vitro diagnostics, but all components of healthcare. As per the European Commissions list of CRM s, ingredients part of medical nutrition are essential to producing a broad range of medicinal products, goods and applications used in healthcare. MNIs first recommendation is to include in this list, ingredients that are essential to care for people, in addition to the sustainable functioning of the European economy. Malnutrition is a condition where patients are not getting the right nutrition in the right amount to sustain their health or life. The role of medical nutrition is to help patients to address nutritional insufficiencies arising from a disease and/or their treatment, disorder, or condition such as cancer, chronic intestinal failure, frailty in older people. Depending on the situation, medical nutrition is required for short or long term or even for life and it is to be used under medical supervision. MNI agrees with the analysis of the problem the initiative aims to tackle and supports the 4 policy options. When defining priorities and objectives for EU actions and determining strategic CRMs based on pre-set criteria, the EU legislators shall consider the absolute need and absence of replacement of the said material: for some components of medical treatment, there are no alternatives and having no access to these CRMs because of insufficient contingency planning often means absence of available treatment and deterioration of patients health. We welcome President von der Leyens announcement of the pursuit of supply diversification as we have all been hit by geopolitics instability and the consequences of COVID19 in the provision of essential goods and ingredients. We suggest focusing on circular economy , as well as encouraging/providing incentives for EU-based resources to support further independence and autonomy. We recommend the establishment of "strategic reserves " where possible (depending on shelf-life span) of CRMs at EU level to inhibit speculation from international markets and face potential risks of shortages. This may concern for instance: Sunflower oil (or other oil sources) are often used as a sole source of nutrition; therefore, the type of oil used determines the essential nutrient content (e.g., essential fatty acids). Ingredient substitution is not straightforward as the right nutritional profile needs to be achieved and it is also challenging because of lengthy regulatory approval processes required to make changes to formulations. Amino acids are critical sources of protein for patients who cannot tolerate whole proteins and need specialised products. Vitamins - A (retinol), D (cholecalciferol), E (a tocopherol), K, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), Niacin, B12 (cobalamin), Folate, Biotin, C (ascorbic acid)) - and trace elements (Zinc, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Selenium, Chromium, Molybdenum, Iodide, Fluoride), called globally micronutrients, are essential components of medical nutrition products in maintaining good health and treating a disease. Concerns also lie with other products: Hydrolysed Corn Starch; Lecithin; Maltodextrin; Glucose; Hydroxides, Citrates, Phosphates, Carbonates, Chlorides; Whey & Casein Derivatives; Lactose; Milk Powders MNI believes it should be mandatory for proper crisis preparedness to improve the EU monitoring, risk management and governance in the field of CRMs and it should involve all actors in the field not only Member States: suppliers, users, manufacturers, prescribers, etc. It is of paramount importance that essential/life-saving ingredients are taken up in the CRMs list and medical nutrition is no exception
Read full responseResponse to Green Paper on Ageing
14 Dec 2020
The Medical Nutrition International Industry (MNI) appreciates the opportunity provided by the European Commission of a public consultation on the Roadmap on a Green Paper on Ageing. MNI welcomes this proposal, which will set out the key issues and discuss ways to anticipate and respond to the socio-economic impacts of demographic change and to harness further opportunities. More specifically, the Green Paper will approach “How to meet people’s needs - taking into account both the challenges that come with an ageing society as well as the new opportunities”.
MNI would like to highlight the burden of malnutrition in Europe as 33 million people are at risk of malnutrition in the EU. Malnutrition is estimated to cost European countries €170 billion a year (Ljungqvist O, de Man F. Undernutrition - a major health problem in Europe, Nutr Hosp 24:368–370), primarily among hospital patients and the ageing population. Older people are particularly affected by malnutrition (Kaiser MJ et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2010; 58:1734-8):
• more than 1 in 3 people in care homes are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition
• 1 in 3 older people living independently are at risk of malnutrition
Older people are often unable to meet their nutritional needs through their normal diet and are, therefore, more at risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition is caused by inadequate intake of energy, protein and/or other nutrients as a result of diseases or their treatment or loss of appetite.
Despite the availability of screening tools, malnutrition among older people often goes undetected and untreated.
Malnutrition among older people leads to increased risk of complications such as infection, poor wound healing, frailty and falls which leads to additional hospital admissions / readmissions and increased length of stay, with the associated health costs. It can also result in loss of independence, reduced quality of life and increased mortality.
Malnutrition should not be accepted as an inevitable consequence of the ageing process. In this context, nutritional care (medical nutrition) is the most effective way to provide them with the essential nutrients they need.
Across Europe, different national approaches and initiatives have been developed and implemented to overcome malnutrition in a growing context of ageing population. Some countries are particularly advanced and have set national multidisciplinary knowledge centres for the awareness, prevention, identification and treatment of malnutrition. An example is the set-up of the Malnutrition Steering Group with a focus on children, chronically and acutely ill and older persons in The Netherlands (more info at: https://www.fightmalnutrition.eu/dutch-malnutrition-steeringgroup/the-dutch-malnutrition-steering-group)
In some other countries of the European Union, malnutrition of older people still goes undetected and untreated, due to lack of knowledge related to the prevention and treatment of malnutrition.
MNI would therefore support the integration of malnutrition as a key element in the Green Paper on Ageing, in order to respond to the nutritional needs of a European ageing population:
• This would ensure that the European Union would support, coordinate and complement Member States’ efforts to fight malnutrition in older people and ensure a healthy and active ageing;
• This would also have a positive impact on the sustainability of public budgets, as an early diagnosis, screening and treatment of malnutrition avoids further complications, which are associated with higher healthcare costs.
For more information: Infographic “Malnutrition – A condition that affects 33 million people in Europe” (https://medicalnutritionindustry.com/files/user_upload/infographics/MNI_Infographic_malnutrition.pdf).
Read full responseResponse to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan
2 Mar 2020
The Medical Nutrition International industry (MNI) welcomes the European Commission’s initiative on the European Beating Cancer Plan. Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and contributes to 20% of the total disease burden in Europe.
Treatment targets cancerous cells and tumours, however it should also include measures against cancer-related symptoms, such as pain, fatigue and malnutrition with the aim of improving quality of life of patients and survival. 1 in 3 cancer patients are at risk of malnutrition: malnourished patients may experience inter alia organ damage; immune system dysfunction and lean muscle loss. They have a significantly increased risk of infections & complications, leading to diminished tolerability of chemotherapy, and impact on overall survival. The cost of their care increases placing a significant burden to healthcare systems. Malnourished cancer patients are more frequently hospitalised, and experience longer hospital stays (+3 days). In addition, it is estimated that the cost of not treating malnutrition in cancer costs at an additional €17 billion/year in the EU.
As also highlighted by a recent WHO report, appropriate nutritional care helps cancer patients cope better with their illness and treatment. Nonetheless, cancer-related malnutrition often remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in current clinical practice.
Where patients are unable to sufficiently feed themselves, medical nutrition helps sustain patients during treatment. However, a recent study shows an overwhelming majority of cancer patients not being screened for nutritional status, nor receiving information on nutritional support (including artificial nutrition) or cachexia (disease induced muscle wasting syndrome and extreme weight loss) from their health professionals.
MNI calls for a transformation of current oncology care models as follows:
• Education on malnutrition & nutritional care in cancer treatment for healthcare professionals & cancer patients. Integrating curricula on medical nutrition in the training of healthcare professionals, education & awareness around nutritional interventions and supportive care will increase the survival chances, reduce hospital stays and provide cost-savings to the healthcare budgets. The EU should provide funding support for health literacy projects focused on patient education & for developing up-to-date educational modules for healthcare professionals & foster best practice sharing among countries.
• Diagnostic/therapeutic approaches to be delivered by a multidisciplinary team, including a dietitian/nutritionist. While it represents the cornerstone of an integrated patient care, this is not the reality of care delivery in the EU today.
• Mandatory screening for malnutrition at diagnosis & follow-up throughout treatment to provide timely nutritional care for all cancer patients. Nonetheless, only Scotland and the Netherlands established mandatory screening for malnutrition in cancer patients.
• Implementation of existing clinical guidelines on nutritional care for cancer patients in routine treatment protocols, including timely use of medical nutrition (The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism & the European Society for Medical Oncology (guidelines under development).
• Equal access to nutritional care for all patients; reimbursement of medical nutritional interventions by national healthcare systems.
MNI would be pleased to further discuss with the European Commission - as part of the upcoming stakeholders’ consultations - the importance of nutrition in cancer care as an integral part of care pathways. Please also find in attachment more details and the references to our response.
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