How supportive is the global food supply of food-based dietary guidelines? A descriptive time series analysis of food supply alignment from 1961 to 2013

With the global population projected to reach 9 billion by the year 2050, the need for nations to secure food supplies for their populations has never been more pressing. Finding better supply chain solutions is an essential part of achieving a secure and sustainable diet for a rapidly increasing population. We are now in a position, through methods including life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprinting and other tools, to accurately measure and assess our use – or misuse – of natural resources, including food. The impact of new technologies and management systems can therefore improve efficiencies and find new ways to reduce waste. Global Food Security and Supply provides robust, succinct information for people who want to understand how the global food system works. The book demonstrates the specific tools available for understanding how food supply works, addresses the challenges facing a secure and safe global food supply, and helps readers to appreciate how these challenges might be overcome. This book is a concise and accessible text that focuses on recent data and findings from a range of international collaborations and studies. The author provides both a snapshot of global food supply and security today, and a projection of where these issues may lead us in the future. This book will therefore be of particular interest to food policy leaders, commercial managers in the food industry, and researchers and students seeking a better understanding of a rapidly evolving topic.

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are important tools for promoting healthy eating and nutrition education at the population level. Currently, more than 100 countries worldwide have developed FBDGs with majority of existing FBDGs in high-income countries. However, there are a few countries in Africa which have developed FBDGs. This review describes and compares the characteristics of existing FBDGs in Africa. Data were extracted from all existing FBDGs from African countries which have been archived in the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) online repository of FBDGs. In addition, supporting documentation from other sources linked to the identified FBDGs were also reviewed. Extracted data were coded and synthesized to describe the purpose of the FBDGs, the process for developing the FBDGs, and how healthy diets were expressed in the FBDGs. In addition, the FBDGs were examined for content on considerations for planetary health, and non-dietary recommendations. A checklist was used to extract the evidence in the identified documents. Of the 47 African countries in the WHO Africa region, only eight FBDGs were identified from seven countries. South Africa had two FBDGs (including a FBDG for young children). Multi-disciplinary technical working groups were convened in developing majority of the FBDGs. The working groups utilised scientific evidence on diet-related diseases and nutrient requirements as a basis for recommendations. All the FBDGs were intended as a tool for promoting healthy diets among the lay population. The FBDGs that were reviewed included between six and sixteen dietary messages. Diet diversification was promoted as the most common recommendation across African country FBDGs. The recommendations often promoted consumption of four to six food groups communicated using text as well as images (food guide). Local availability and cultural acceptability were important values promoted as part of an optimal diet in some of the countries. However, none of the recommendations addressed environmental sustainability. Apart from South Africa, none of the FBDGs had been evaluated or revised. Across Africa, there is a need for increased focus on developing new FBDGs or revising existing ones as a tool for meeting the dietary information needs of populations at risk of malnutrition in all its forms. Key words: Food-based, Dietary, Guidelines, diversity, Africa, Health, Non-communicable, Sustainability

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are essential public health tools for delivering dietary recommendations, and generally include guidance on portion sizes. Despite existing guidelines on developing and implementing FBDGs, there is still no consensus on best practices for their formulation. This paper compares the methodologies used by public health organizations to create FBDGs and examines how both methodology and geographical location may influence recommended portion sizes. Documents on FBDG development were obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organization online repository of FBDGs, either directly from consumer-facing FBDG or from corresponding scientific reports. Methodological details in FBDG development were extracted and categorized. Recommended portions in grams per day were extracted for 15 food categories to enable comparison across development methods and global regions. FBDGs from 96 countries were accessed and translated. Of these, n = 83 were based on consensus/review, n = 15 used data-based approaches, and n = 30 included other minor calculations. Thirty-nine FBDGs were derived from a combination of consensus/review and another method. Of the countries providing portion size information, only one did not report its methodological approach. Comparisons of median portions sizes of food groups across methodologies showed no significant differences. Analyses across regions revealed that portion recommendations were generally consistent, with significant differences found only for one food group, namely, Fish & shellfish, where portion size recommendations were significantly higher in Europe compared to those in Latin America and the Caribbean. Results indicate little variation in the recommendations for portion size across development methods, and for most food groups, across global regions. These findings suggest there is potential to harmonize portion size derivation in FBDGs at regional or global levels. However, further research is needed to assess whether harmonized guidance can apply to other aspects of FBDGs.

Dietary guidelines based on 5 food groups was used as a main nutrition education tool until 1996 when food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) were promoted after 2 years of formulation and development. These FBDGs for the general population were designed to promote desirable and culturally acceptable eating behavior. The nine qualitative guidelines of Thai FBDGs include: 1. eat a variety of foods from each of the five food groups and maintain proper weight, 2. eat adequate rice, or alternate carbohydrate, 3. eat plenty of vegetables and fruits regularly, 4. eat fish, lean meats, eggs, legumes and pulses regularly, 5. drink sufficient amount of milk every day, 6. take moderate amounts of fat, 7. avoid excessive intake of sweet and salty foods, 8. eat clean and uncontaminated foods, and 9. avoid or reduce consumption of alcoholic beverages. In 1998, the quantitative part of Thai FBDGs or food guide model was established as "Nutrition Flag" after rigorous test for understanding and acceptability among consumers. Promotion and dissemination of the Thai FBDGs have been carried out at national and community levels through basic health, agricultural and educational services and training activities, as well as periodic campaigning via multiple communication channels and media. Recently in 2009, the FBDGs for infant and preschool children were introduced to replace the previous infant and young child feeding guidelines. There has been no formal evaluation on the impact of promotion of the Thai FBDGs but some periodic testing of knowledge and practices have shown positive results.

Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) have been developed to promote healthy diets and prevent chronic diseases. However, the methodological quality of Spanish FBDGs has not been systematically assessed yet. The objective of this review is to identify and assess the methodological quality of Spanish FBDGs, as well as to describe their food guides and key recommendations. We conducted a systematic search to identify Spanish FBDGs targeted at the general population using multiple sources. Two authors independently screened the references, extracted data, and assessed the quality of the FBDGs using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II and the Recommendation Excellence (AGREE-REX) instruments. We performed a descriptive analysis of the FBDGs. We included 19 FBDGs, published between 2007 and 2019. The median scores for each AGREE II domain were: "scope and purpose" 44% (Q1-Q3: 33-61%); "Stakeholder involvement" 31% (11-44%), "rigor of development" 3% (1-14%); "clarity of presentation" 42% (33-47%), "applicability" 0% (0-6%); and "editorial independence" 0% (0-8%). Six FBDGs (32%; 6/19) were categorized as "recommended with modifications", and the rest (68%; 13/19) as "not recommended". None of the FBDGs scored ≥60% in three or more domains, including the "rigor of development" domain. FBDGs indexed in literature databases scored significantly higher in overall rating than those not indexed (P = 0.023). The majority of FBDGs (74%; 14/19) used the pyramid as a food guide representation with a larger number of food levels (3-7 levels). The majority of FBDGs recommended a daily intake of cereals and grains, vegetables, fruits, olive oil and dairy products; a weekly intake of vegetable and animal proteins; and the occasional and limited intake of other food groups (e.g., ultraprocessed foods). Overall, the methodological quality of FBDGs is poor showing that only 32% of FBDGs are "recommended for use with modifications". Our results highlight the need to revise, systematize and improve FBDG development processes in Spain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed the dietary guidelines presented as the Food-based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). The FBDG classify foods according to their origin, nature, nutrient source, food group, and processing level. Food science and technology (FST) ranks food according to its origin, perishability, nutrient source, processing, food group, and formulation. This paper aimed to compare the convergence points for food classification according to the FBDG and FST. This study was carried out in two phases. The first step was identifying the Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG). For each of the FBDG, food items were grouped as fruits, vegetables, cereals, sugars, fat and oils, legumes, foods from animals, dairy products, and others. The second step aimed to identify and describe the different food classification systems. The search was performed on PubMed®, Science Direct, and Web of Science and websites of international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Codex Alimentarius. Our results show that the points of convergence between the classifications were the classification in terms of origin (animal and vegetable), nutrient sources, and food groups. However, inconsistencies were observed for the distribution of food items in each group in the 98 surveyed FBDG. As for nature, there was a convergence for in natura, minimally processed, and processed foods. However, the criteria adopted for minimally processed and processed foods described in the FBDG differ from those considered by the FST. FST also does not recognize the classification of foods concerning the level of processing.

At present, there are ~100 countries with national food-based dietary guidelines. While the intent of these guidelines is to inform national-level dietary recommendations, they also tie into global health and sustainable development initiatives, since diet and nutrition are linked to outcomes for all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, key messaging in food-based dietary guidelines plays an important role in both national and global health efforts. However, this type of national-level dietary guidance is not standardized and varies considerably from country to country, and from food group to food group. The main objective of this review is to provide a novel look at dairy food group messaging within global food-based dietary guidelines, focusing specifically on nutrient-based and health-based messaging. Dairy-based messaging from 94 national food-based dietary guidelines was reviewed and grouped by region, with an emphasis on messaging regarding dairy's contribution to nutrients of public health concern for both underconsumption and overconsumption. The results showed that most nutrient-based dairy messaging relating to underconsumption was focused on calcium, followed by vitamin D, iodine, potassium, and protein; whereas messaging related to overconsumption was focused on saturated fat, added sugars, and salt. Health-based messaging specific to dairy food intake typically coalesced around three types of health outcomes: (1) bone, teeth, and muscle, (2) cardiometabolic, and (3) gut and immune. Although a fundamental concept of food-based dietary guidelines is to provide dietary guidance in a manner that is both “food-based,” and in the context of “dietary” patterns, most food-based dietary guidelines still express the health value of dairy foods (and potentially other foods groups) solely in terms of their nutrient content – and often times only in the context of a single nutrient (e.g., calcium).

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Make Seafood a Priority, Sustainability an Afterthought

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Can Be Developed and Tested Using Linear Programming Analysis

Purpose This chapter examines whether the supply of food is large enough to feed an increasing world population for the 2012–2050 period. Special attention is given to the implications of bioenergy production on global and regional food security. Methodology/approach For this analysis, a global food security simulation model was developed to determine if the global and regional supply of food, in terms of calories, is large enough to meet the demand and also to estimate the impact on food prices. Findings This chapter found that the global supply of food in terms of calories is insufficient to satisfy food demand in 2050, with food shortages especially significant in Africa. Practical implications The estimated shortage of food may result in significant food-price inflation by 2050.

Environmental Impact of Increased Adherence to SENC Food Based Dietary Guidelines in the Average Dietary Patterns in Spain

Chapter 22 - Developing science-based dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) are key tools for providing comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating using simple and understandable holistic diet approaches. This study aims to review national FBDGs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), examine and compare their dietary and lifestyle recommendations, and explore the inclusion of environmental sustainability considerations. The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO's) global online FBDGs repository, Google Scholar, and ministry websites were consulted. Results showed that national FBDGs were available in 12 out of the 22 EMR countries (54.5%). The main purpose of these FBDGs was the promotion of general health by emphasizing the adoption of healthy dietary and lifestyle patterns. The various FBDGs categorized their foods into five, six, or seven different groups, the main differences being related to the inclusion of legumes and nuts as a distinct food group in some guides (instead of being in the group of meats and alternative), and to the featuring of fats and oils as a separate food group. In addition to promoting healthy and varied diets, all FBDGs in the region addressed food safety (100%), physical activity (100%), meal patterns (42%), maintenance of healthy body weight (83%), sleep (50%), and emotional well-being (17%). Aspects related to environmental protection were only considered by six national FBDGs (50%), of which only four addressed sustainability (33%). The study's findings show that a minority of the FBDGs have undertaken revisions, which are particularly important in light of the global calls for promoting diets that are healthy for both people and the planet.

ABSTRACTThe objective of this review is to provide a concise, descriptive global review of current food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG), and to assess similarities and differences in key elements of a healthy diet articulated across countries. Information was sourced from the FBDG repository of the FAO, which catalogs FBDG for all countries where they are available, including a description of the food guide (the graphic representation of the dietary guidelines), a set of key messages, and downloadable documents provided by the countries. FBDG are currently available for 90 countries globally: 7 in Africa, 17 in Asia and the Pacific, 33 in Europe, 27 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 4 in the Near East, and 2 in North America. The year of publication of current versions ranges from 1986 to 2017 (mean 2009). This review provides summaries of the key messages and food guides that are used to communicate national dietary guidance, organized by food group, and evaluates the extent to which each set of FBDG includes existing recommendations articulated by the WHO. Some guidance appears nearly universally across countries: to consume a variety of foods; to consume some foods in higher proportion than others; to consume fruits and vegetables, legumes, and animal-source foods; and to limit sugar, fat, and salt. Guidelines on dairy, red meat, fats and oils, and nuts are more variable. Although WHO global guidance encourages consumption of nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats, these messages are not universally echoed across countries. Future frontiers in FBDG development include the incorporation of environmental sustainability and increased attention to sociocultural factors including rapidly changing dietary trends. Steps toward regional and global dietary recommendations could be helpful for refinement of country-level FBDG, and for clear communication and measurement of diet quality both nationally and globally.

North and South American countries food-based dietary guidelines: A comparison.