Rethinking food policy framework to tackle childhood obesity in the Italian context.

The article focuses on the challenges and strategies related to pediatric obesity prevention, emphasizing the need for integrated, multi-level food policies and interventions starting early in life. It highlights Italy's high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity and discusses the limitations of current food policies, particularly their lack of effective monitoring and integration across regional and national levels. The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP), an international agreement among cities to promote sustainable and healthy food systems, is presented as a framework with potential to address obesity through actions targeting sustainable diets and noncommunicable diseases. The article concludes that a coordinated national alliance involving multiple stakeholders is essential to redesign food policies, improve childhood nutrition, and foster healthier environments to prevent obesity while supporting social and economic well-being.