The role of the British Nutrition Foundation

Abstract

This article provides a brief overview of the role of the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). The Foundation is a charity set up in 1967 with the aim of promoting nutritional wellbeing by disseminating accurate information about diet and health. Unfortunately, many of the messages that the general public receive about diet and health are inconsistent and as such do not enable them to make positive changes to their dietary behaviour. The premature reporting of scientific findings in the media, particularly when these conflict with previous research, contributes to the confused messages and encourages the common perception of disagreement among scientists. The findings of any single study are unlikely to provide convincing evidence and any new research needs to be interpreted in the light of previous reports and any discrepancies addressed. One of the key roles of the Foundation is to independently review the totality of the evidence, to make a judgement about various dietary issues and to interpret the science in a format suitable for different audiences. Current work includes the provision of training and resources for teachers and health professionals and an information and consultancy service for consumers, the media, government and the food industry. Much of its work also involves producing literature and running conferences to disseminate up‐to‐date information about various nutritional topics to health professionals both in the UK and across Europe.