Restauranteur, nutritionist and TV personality Sarah Wiener formally announced Feb. 15 her candidacy for EU Parliament on the Green Party list, pending approval by the Federal Congress (Bundeskongress) of Austrian EU representatives on March 16.
With three successful restaurants and a catering business in Berlin, the 56-year-old Austrian also operates an online platform on nutrition and food quality, including related public policy issues here. Austria has among the highest food quality standards in the EU and is known for its resistance to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). However, problems remain in other areas, and Wiener has challenged agricultural policies affecting biodiversity and campaigns for sustainable organic agriculture. In a year of nationalists and Euroskeptics, the Greens have made a strong showing in northern Europe, suggesting that strong environmental policy could play a role in this spring’s results.
