The EUthyroid2 kick-off meeting was held on 27-29th March 2023 in Krakow, Poland. All consortium members presented their organisations and roles in the project. This two-day meeting offered an overview of the work packages and an outline of detailed plans.
The representatives of the project partner institutions met with other consortium members to align on the next steps for increasing awareness of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) and related risks among adolescents and young women in Europe and beyond.
The project builds on EUthyroid and the Krakow Declaration on iodine and will establish best practice models for cost-effective, sustainable prevention of IDD across EU member states.
Professor Henry Völzke (University Medicine Greifswald), the scientific coordinator of the EUthyroid2 project, identified the project aims. All work package leaders outline their road map for the activities of the first year of the project to the consortium.
The project participants and partners are committed to taking important steps toward the elimination of iodine deficiency and preventable iodine-related disorders in Europe and beyond.

The Second Annual Meeting of the EUthyroid2 project was held on the 9th of October, 2024, in Baveno, Italy. The meeting offered an excellent opportunity for the work packages to present the progress achieved and give an outline of tasks ahead.

The Advisory Board Members participated in the meeting online: Prof. Dr. Heather Foran, the Coordinator of EUthyroid2 sister project, FLOURISH Study, Prof. Christa Meisinger, MD, MPH, Epidemiologist, University of Augsburg, and Prof. Dr. Leonidas Duntas, Endocrinologist, Evgenidion Hospital, University of Athens, offered valuable insights and advice to the consortium.

The day began with an inspiring session by Prof. Henry Völzke, Coordinator of the EUthyroid2 project, who gave an overview of the broader aims for the upcoming year. The meeting progressed with presentations on the study implementation in the ambulatory care and educational settings by Vivien Henck, University Medicine Greifswald, Theresa Heering, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Signe Skovgaard Hansen, Technical University of Denmark, and Synnøve Næss Sleire, Institute of Marine Research.

Christoph Schickhardt, Ethics Advisor, discussed the question of ethical challenges in the intervention, while Phil Pendt, University Medicine Greifswald summarised the structure of the intervention materials.

Anna Bokor, TFI, gave an overview of the communication and dissemination activities and study materials in different languages.

Through educational and ambulatory care interventions, EUthyroid2 aims to increase awareness among adolescents and young people about the risks of iodine deficiency and the importance of iodine for their health and that of their future offspring.

The project participants and partners are committed to taking important steps toward the elimination of iodine deficiency and preventable iodine-related disorders in Europe and beyond.

EUthyroid2 took part in the Iodine Coalition Europe Face to Face Stakeholder Meeting, in Brussels, Belgium, on February 27 to discuss the next steps in the fight against iodine deficiency in Europe. The EUthyroid2 Consortium is a member of the Iodine Coalition Europe, along with iodine nutrition experts, representatives of the salt, food, and iodine industries, experts in research and endocrinology, and organisations with a global reach (EUsalt, Thyroid Federation International, World Iodine Association, Iodine Global Network, Unilever, and Culinaria Europe).

Anna Bokor, Communications Director, TFI, partner of EUthyroid2, gave an overview of the Communications Plan for the Coalition. She highlighted that there is low awareness of iodine-related health risks in children and adolescents among policymakers and the public. The first Horizon Europe-funded EUthyroid project suggested that up to 50% of newborns in the region are at risk of iodine deficiency and do not reach their full cognitive potential due to insufficient iodine intake. This represents a major but preventable public health issue. Despite the risks of iodine deficiency, most European countries lack dedicated policies to prevent iodine deficiency disorders, and no harmonised framework exists across the European Union (EU).

Food fortification is an effective strategy for combating iodine deficiency. To ensure that all European citizens have adequate iodine intake, there is a need to harmonise national policies to facilitate access to iodised salt and processed food fortified with iodine.

The partners of the Coalition are committed to working together and taking important steps to ensure that all Europeans have access to iodine.

Policymakers, nutrition experts, food and salt industry representatives, and patient organisations met at the European Parliament for a high-level breakfast event in Brussels on March 25 to discuss the problem of iodine deficiency in Europe.

Hosted by MEP Stefan Köhler and organised by the Iodine Coalition Europe, the session highlighted the need for harmonised policies to ensure that all Europeans have access to iodine.

Several partners of the EUthyroid2 project took part in the session: Dr. Sarah Bath, Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition, University of Surrey, Linda Henderson and Anna Bokor, Thyroid Federation International, Joyce Greene, Iodine Global Network, and Attilio Caligiani, World Iodine Association.

Throughout the discussion, the speakers Joyce Greene, Dr. Sarah Bath, Michael Durst (Unilever), and Dr. Urs Hofmeier (EUsalt) reinforced the importance of promoting the sustainable prevention of iodine deficiency in Europe.

A Joint Statement on tackling iodine deficiency was presented at the event, in which the partners of the Iodine Coalition Europe call on EU policymakers to support regulatory alignment, simplify labelling, and ensure that iodised salt is widely available to protect public health.