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Cardiovascular diseases, along with cancer, are the main mortality causes in Europe and other developed countries. Lycopene is a plant pigment found in high concentration in red fruits, especially tomatoes – Europe’s second-most important crop. Strong correlative evidence suggests that lycopene may provide important protection against cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, these two aspects – lycopene content of tomatoes and lycopene’s beneficial effects – have not been sufficiently linked because research has lacked a “total food chain” approach. The missing links in the chain are the development of healthy new foods and nutritional guidelines. There are also many details regarding bioavailability, metabolism, and molecular mechanisms of lycopene biological activities that are still unknown. LYCOCARD will investigate the role of lycopene in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, adopting a "total food chain" approach by addressing each link in a "farm to fork" approach.