Stakeholder responses to governmental dietary guidelines

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how stakeholders in the food and nutrition field construct and conceptualise “appropriate” national dietary advice. Design/methodology/approach In total, 40 voluntarily written stakeholder responses to updated official dietary guidelines in Sweden were analysed thematically. The analysis explored the logics and arguments employed by authorities, interest organisations, industry and private stakeholders in attempting to influence the formulation of dietary guidelines. Findings Two main themes were identified: the centrality of anchoring advice scientifically and modes of getting the message across to the public. Stakeholders expressed a view of effective health communication as that which is nutritionally and quantitatively oriented and which optimises individuals’ capacities to take action for their own health. Their responses did not offer alternative framings of how healthy eating could be practiced but rather conveyed an understanding of dietary guidelines as documents that provide simplified answers to complex questions. Practical implications Policymakers should be aware of industrial actors’ potential vested interests and actively seek out other stakeholders representing communities and citizen interests. The next step should be to question the extent to which it is ethical to publish dietary advice that represents a simplified way of conceptualising behavioural change, and thereby places responsibility for health on the individual. Originality/value This research provides a stakeholder perspective on the concept of dietary advice and is among the first to investigate referral responses to dietary guidelines.

Public Expressions of Trust and Distrust in Governmental Dietary Advice in Sweden

“…The Swedish process of publishing dietary guidelines is relatively open and members of the public are invited to have a say during the process. However, responses to the latest Swedish update of dietary advice (2015) came predominantly from industrial stakeholders with vested interest in influencing the guidelines (Bergman et al, 2018). The National Food Agency is known among most people and has a mostly positive public image (S. Holmberg & Tryggvason, 2014).…”

The palm or the plate? An assessment of dietary guideline promotion, awareness, and preferences among Saudis: cross-sectional survey

“…However, approximately 25% of the sample reported that they preferred neither the Healthy Food Palm nor the Saudi Healthy Plate guidelines. This may shed light on the need to include stakeholder perspectives on the concept of dietary guidelines to find “appropriate national dietary advice” [ 36 ]. Additionally, further understanding why 53.6% of respondents preferred the Saudi Healthy Plate guidelines, compared to 21.4% who preferred the Healthy Food Palm, could help identify the components of dietary guidelines that the public could more easily comprehend and adhere to.…”

“Writing nutritionistically”: A critical discourse analysis of lay people’s digital correspondence with the Swedish Food Agency

“…This could be interpreted as a step away from a nutritionistic approach. Nonetheless, most FBDGs continue to employ quantification and technical terms ( Kromhout et al, 2016 ); these features of nutritionistic discourse are also endorsed by food industry and other stakeholders, both in engaging with official dietary advice and in marketing foods ( Bergman et al, 2018 ; Scrinis, 2016 ). The nutrient focused and bio-chemical aspects of food implicate important aspects of nutritional wellbeing, which remains the main purpose of FBDGs (WHO 1998).…”