Food products and dietary guidelines: how to align?

In spite of the existence of extensive recommendations to the public, poor dietary and lifestyle habits are still aggravating mortality and morbidity in a host of nutrition affected diseases. Lifestyle modification that encompasses healthier eating and exercise patterns remains a global challenge. New initiatives and partnerships amongst health authorities, non-governmental organisations and food manufacturers are emerging to address this. At this satellite workshop, the need to pass from theoretical recommendations to more practical tools for helping the general public by offering healthier food choices was expressed. Development of systems for nutritional evaluation of food products was discussed by reviewing the main concepts developed around nutrition profiling and dietary guidelines. For instance, the Naturally Nutrient Rich score, based on nutrient density of foods, was presented. Another example is Unilever's Nutrition Enhancement Programme, whereby food products are compared to nutritional benchmarks derived from international guidelines. Being linked to a health indicator, such a system can also inform consumers and help them in making nutritionally sound food choices. Ultimately, the health improvements due to favourable changes in nutrient composition can be felt on a population-wide level, as illustrated by examples where countries have achieved target changes in eating patterns.