Partnerships for better nutrition – an analysis of how Danish authorities, researchers, non-governmental organizations and practitioners are networking to promote healthy eating

Abstract

Background: The increase in nutrition-related diseases in industrialized countries is alarming. Unhealthy eating habits, lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption and tobacco are the main causes of this development. There is therefore great interest in prevention strategies. Such strategies have traditionally been based on public information or regulation, but in recent years the value of partnership has begun to be discussed. Design: Evaluation of 13 concrete Danish partnership initiatives for promoting healthy eating habits was carried out using a 10-step checklist. Results: The evaluation showed that the partnerships in general were quite successful. Most partnerships were assessed to have resulted in concrete output, to have been disseminated well in target groups, to have had high novelty value and to have brought new resources into play. Major weaknesses in the partnerships were reported to relate to the time-consuming task of setting up partnerships. Results also showed that a number of requirements should be met if partnerships were to be successful. Conclusions: The study indicates that partnerships are a promising tool in the promotion of healthy eating habits as seen from a public point of view. Partnerships should be seen as a supplement to tools such as information, regulation and state interventions, and therefore businesses and non-governmental organizations are important actors in partnerships. It is suggested that businesses, in particular, should develop their role in future partnerships and that they should aim develop their responsibility for the nutritional effects of the products they sell. The term corporate nutritional responsibility is suggested to describe such effort aimed at making nutritional issues a corporate management issue.