Healthy eating guidelines in the South African context

There has been a global shift of focus onto the African continent, as Africa is the only developing area in the world with increasing numbers of underweight, stunted and hungry people, while obesity rates in the more developed areas are on the increase. South Africa, faced with the consequences of the double burden of disease due to both over- and under-nutrition, is characterized by extremes of wealth and poverty. Aiming to move public health towards balanced nutrition by applying various holistic and multisectoral approaches, the South African Health sector is actively combating these nutritional imbalances. The various applications include the food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs), fortification and supplementation programs, updating of food composition data that are specific to South African foods, and the new food labeling regulations aimed at preventing misinformation and protecting the consumer. Although improvement of the South African nutrition situation is still limited despite these implemented strategies, innovative solutions should be found by all to improve persisting global malnutrition.