The EU has launched a new project that seeks to develop appealing, affordable and healthy food products that could prevent common nutritional problems among those vulnerable to poverty. By exploring means to lower the production costs and increasing the knowledge about this particular group of consumers this project will hopefully stimulate development of food products that can make a difference as well as make them available and attractive to people who really need them.

The EU has funded with part of the Seventh Framework Programme's (FP7) 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' Theme the CHANCE ('Low cost technologies and traditional ingredients for the production of affordable, nutritionally correct foods improving health in population groups at risk of poverty') project, which hopes to tackle the resulting poverty-related nutritional problems. 

The CHANCE consortium plan to take a two-tiered approach by focusing on both exploring low-cost technologies and ingredients, and researching how education and awareness about healthy eating can be improved. The team of researchers plans to look at by-products rich in fibre resulting from the production of fruit juices and other derivatives from food processing.

This study is based on the conclusions drawn from a recent Eurostat survey, which set out the urgency of better understanding the barriers to healthy nutrition among the 81 million EU citizens currently living on the poverty line. Another statistics from Eurostat also indicated that women and the elderly are two of the most vulnerable groups. Among other things, the CHANCE project researchers want to work out what other groups are also most at risk of poverty.

The CHANCE project will also study what those living in poverty believe are the main barriers to healthy eating as well as talking to retailers, food and drink industry representatives and other actors in the food chain.