Addressing the challenge of aligning dietary guidelines and food supply

The Dietary Guidelines are revised every five years in order to reflect changes in nutrition knowledge over time, including a review of contemporary US intakes of various foods and nutrients, examining those areas in which consumption may be inadequate, or where it may be excessive. The latest version – the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 – is expected to be published later this month.

However, even though Americans report that they are familiar with the guidelines, research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that vegetable consumption has not changed since 2000, and fruit consumption has declined. Intake for both fruit and vegetables is well below DGA targets.

“Just as regularly as they are updated, the guidelines have been more or less ignored by the public,”​ the paper’s authors wrote.

The report is published in the latest issue of the Journal of Food Science​ and presents the findings and discussion of a group of industry food scientists, and nutrition and health professionals that took place in Washington D.C. in October 2010. It is one of two papers to be produced from the meeting. The other focuses on the work of dietitians and health professionals to bring about dietary change, while this one focuses on the perspective of food scientists who are required to reformulate and develop food products that bring the food supply more in line with the Dietary Guidelines, without sacrificing taste.

“These are not simple changes, but rather they are often complex and expensive modifications that are uncertain to appeal to consumers – not to mention the communication challenges around such reformulations or innovations,”​ the paper said.

The report claims that there is an 80 to 90 percent failure rate for new food and beverage introductions, and often there is a knowledge gap between the production of foods and the selection and consumption of foods.

“If food companies are simply to offer new products with healthier nutrient profiles, there are also significant hidden expenses for increased inventories and production inefficiencies, as well as for consumer confusion or lack of acceptance, among other reasons,”​ the paper said.

It went on to suggest that food marketers should use a combination of ‘stealth’ or gradual modifications that they do not publicize, and transparent modifications accompanied by consumer education efforts.

In addition, it suggested that the DGA should be “aspirational, with the bar set high”​ but not all or nothing goals.

“Recommending dietary change that is so extreme as to be only aspirational rather than achievable will not serve the greater public need for dietary guidance to address the obesity epidemic,”​ it said.

The paper also reported that roundtables at the meeting repeatedly mentioned the problem of a lack of trust between public health advocates and industry, and industry and government.

“If all stakeholders can be helped to understand the demands on other players in the space and work together, they can attack the challenges from many angles, employing different approaches to achieve the same end,”​ the paper said.

Source: Journal of Food Science​

Published online ahead of print

"Food Science Challenge: Translating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to Bring About Real Behavior Change"​

Authors: Sylvia Rowe, Nick Alexander, Nelson Almeida, Richard Black, Robbie Burns, Laina Bush, Patricia Crawford, Nancy Keim, Penny Kris-Etherton, Connie Weaver