Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are often failing to support health and nutrition professionals in promoting healthy and sustainable diets, a new study led by researchers from ProVeg International and the University of Göttingen has suggested.
According to the study, From Policy to Practice: A Global Analysis to Identify Factors That Influence the Implementation of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines by Health and Nutrition Professionals, which was published in Current Developments in Nutrition, more than 100 countries have developed national FBDGs, together covering around 90% of the global population.
Professional viewpoint
While four fifths (80.5%) of surveyed professionals said that they use their national FBDGs in practice, fewer than three fifths (57.6%) described them as either ‘somewhat’ or ‘slightly’ helpful in promoting healthy and sustainable food choices.
Among the shortcomings highlighted by respondents are the under-representation of plant-based foods in said guidelines, with pulses (62.7%), plant-based milk alternatives (47.5%) and nuts and seeds (42.4%) among the most under-represented.
Elsewhere, respondents said that transparency was a pivotal factor in the development and acceptance of dietary guidelines, with 99.1% of respondents agreeing with this sentiment.
Affordability was another important consideration, with professionals highlighting the need for more guidance on how people can eat healthily on a budget. Some two thirds (65.3%) called for measures such as tax relief or subsidies to make healthy and sustainable food more affordable.
‘Coordinated action’
“Dietary guidelines have enormous potential to shape healthier and more sustainable food systems, but they need to work in the real world,” commented Anna-Lena Klapp, head of research at ProVeg International and lead author of the study. “Our findings show that the professionals responsible for putting these recommendations into practice are calling for guidelines that better reflect plant-based foods, affordability, cultural diversity, and the realities of people’s everyday lives.
“If we want dietary guidelines to drive meaningful change, we need coordinated action across the food system to make healthy and sustainable choices easier for everyone.”
Read more here. Main photo by Sean Pollock.
