A comparison of European countries FBDG in the light of their contribution to tackle diet-related health inequalities.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to report on a comparative analysis of the official food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) that were applicable in 2015 in 25 EU Member States. We assess FBDG in relation to the main guidelines established by the FAO/WHO, the EURODIET project and the EFSA, with a particular focus on identifying strengths and limitations of current FBDG in Europe towards addressing diet-related health inequalities. METHODS: This is a review research, in which a mixed-methods sequenced procedure was utilized. In each EU country key informants, including sociologists, economists, dietitians and nutritionists were asked to provide data regarding: (i) current dietary guidelines and national health priorities, (ii) model of health promotion currently available, (iii) results of the latest food consumption survey. All documents were reviewed by the coordinating team. Full data were analysed by two nutritionists, using a tabulated sheet to organize and compare the results. RESULTS: While all countries have national FBDG, the level of detail and quality varies substantially with regard to: time of last update; availability of recommendations for specific target groups; specification of frequency and portion size; the graphical representation; recommended amounts and limits of foods consumed; and recommendations regarding physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: European countries have great opportunities to improve FBDG to better serve Public Health policy through a more consistent foundation of how these guidelines are developed, the inclusion of different population subgroups as a target for recommendations and the implementation of monitoring systems.

Measuring water affordability in developed economies. The added value of a needs-based approach.

In developed countries, water affordability problems remain up on the agenda as the increasing financial costs of water services can impede the realisation of an equal access to water. More than ever, public authorities that define water tariffs face the challenge of reconciling environmental and cost recovery objectives with equity and financial accessibility for all. Indicators of water affordability can be helpful in this regard. Conventional affordability indicators often rely on the actual amount that households spend on water use. In contrast, we propose a needs-based indicator that measures the risk of being unable to afford the amount of water necessary to fulfill essential needs, i.e. needs that should be fulfilled for adequate participation in society. In this paper we set forth the methodological choices inherent to constructing a needs-based affordability indicator. Using a micro-dataset on households in Flanders (Belgium), we compare its results with the outcomes of a more common actual expenses-indicator. The paper illustrates how the constructed needs-based indicator can complement existing affordability indicators, and its capacity to reveal important risk groups.

Food Reference Budgets as a Potential Policy Tool to Address Food Insecurity: Lessons Learned from a Pilot Study in 26 European Countries.

The aim of this article is to present the development of cross-country comparable food reference budgets in 26 European countries, and to discuss their usefulness as an addition to food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) for tackling food insecurity in low-income groups. Reference budgets are illustrative priced baskets containing the minimum goods and services necessary for well-described types of families to have an adequate social participation. This study was conducted starting from national FBDG, which were translated into monthly food baskets. Next, these baskets were validated in terms of their acceptability and feasibility through focus group discussions, and finally they were priced. Along the paper, we show how that food reference budgets hold interesting contributions to the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of food insecurity in low-income contexts in at least four ways: (1) they show how a healthy diet can be achieved with limited economic resources, (2) they bring closer to the citizen a detailed example of how to put FBDG recommendations into practice, (3) they ensure that food security is achieved in an integral way, by comprising the biological but also psychological and social functions of food, and (4) providing routes for further (comparative) research into food insecurity.