Per €1,000 in food-related healthcare costs, about €2.97 to €19.44 goes to prevention. The comparison makes the difference visible between costs that appear later in healthcare and resources used earlier to prevent harm.
For food initiatives, this matters because prevention often sits across several policy domains. Healthy meals, accessible food places and social connection can affect health, participation and basic security at the same time. The ratio helps explain why preventive food interventions deserve attention in social-cost and benefit decisions.