Knowledge Tree
food-based dietary guidelines
Also known as: FBDGs, national food-based dietary guidelines
Facts (48)
Sources
Dietary Guidelines and Quality - Principles of Nutritional Assessment nutritionalassessment.org 34 facts
measurementAvailability of national food-based dietary guidelines correlates with country income classification, with guidelines available for over half of high- and upper-middle-income countries, over one-quarter of lower-middle-income countries, and fewer than one in ten low-income countries, based on 2021 World Bank classifications.
perspectiveWijesinha-Bettoni et al. (2021) argue that Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) require increased attention toward thorough implementation and evaluation, rather than just careful development.
measurementOnly about one-half of national food-based dietary guidelines emphasize whole grain intake.
perspectiveFuture developments in food-based dietary guidelines and diet quality metrics are expected to increasingly incorporate concerns regarding the environmental sustainability of diets and food systems.
procedureThe European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) summarized the development process for national Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) in 2010 as including the following steps: 1) Identify diet-health relationships based on national and global evidence; 2) Use national data sources to identify diet-related health problems, nutrients of public health importance, food groups relevant for FBDGs, and food consumption patterns; 3) Test FBDGs with audiences and refine them; 4) Develop graphical representations of FBDGs.
claimBrazil (2014), Uruguay (2016), Ecuador (2018), Sweden (2015), and Qatar (2015) have incorporated environmental sustainability as a guiding principle or key message in their Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs).
referenceReviews by Altamirano Martínez et al. (2015), van't Erve et al. (2017), and Herforth et al. (2019) analyzed the commonalities and differences among national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) regarding graphics and key messages.
claimFood-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) translate current scientific knowledge regarding the relationships between food intake and health outcomes into clear population-level guidance.
claimFood-based dietary guidelines differ from nutrient intake guidance, such as Nutrient Reference Values, by focusing on dietary patterns including what to eat and drink, frequency, and portion amounts.
claimThe most consistent key messages across national food-based dietary guidelines align with World Health Organization (WHO) global guidance, emphasizing the ample consumption of fruits and vegetables and moderation in the intake of salt, added sugar, and fats.
claimFood-based dietary guidelines are developed by national health authorities to translate current scientific knowledge regarding the relationship between food intake and health outcomes into clear guidance for consumers, practitioners, and policymakers.
claimPolicies and programs used to implement Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) include public procurement of foods for schools and institutions, taxes, food subsidies, and various food security, nutrition, and agricultural policies.
measurementThe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) maintains a repository of national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs), which included guidelines for 95 countries as of December 2021.
claimKey messages encouraging dairy intake are nearly universal in Europe and North America, but are less common in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, according to Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs).
claimSome Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) provide inconsistent messages regarding unsaturated fats by recommending them in text while grouping them with saturated fats in visual graphics as foods to moderate.
claimMost national food-based dietary guideline graphics depict fats, oils, and sugars as small in proportion to other food groups, while about one-third include depictions of foods to be consumed in moderation, such as pizza, hamburgers, or salty snacks.
referenceWidely used diet quality metrics include the U.S. Healthy Eating Index (which measures adherence to national food-based dietary guidelines), Mediterranean diet scores and indices (which measure adherence to healthy regional diets), and other measures based on epidemiological evidence linking dietary patterns to health outcomes.
claimExcluding foods to be consumed in moderation, the most common number of food groups depicted in national food-based dietary guidelines is four or five, typically consisting of starchy staple foods, fruits and vegetables, dairy, and other protein foods.
claimEfforts to define diets that are both healthy and environmentally sustainable have led to calls for the integration of sustainability considerations into national food-based dietary guidelines, as noted by Gonzalez Fischer & Garnett (2016) and Springmann et al. (2020).
claimNearly all national food-based dietary guideline graphics convey the importance of food group diversity and proportionality, but only about one-third provide quantitative information on recommended amounts per day or per week.
claimNational food-based dietary guidelines show variability in the classification of legumes (grouped with protein, vegetables, or both), the classification of potatoes (starchy staples or vegetables), the grouping of dairy (separate or with protein), and the depiction of nuts (separate, with fats, or with protein).
claimBrazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Canada have included guidance in their Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) regarding food skills, social aspects of eating, and consumer awareness of food industry marketing practices.
claimThe integration of environmental sustainability considerations into Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) has been rare to date, as noted by Gonzalez Fischer & Garnett (2016) and Springmann et al. (2020).
claimSome Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) incorporate guidance on physical activity, food safety, food skills such as shopping and meal preparation, and the role of ultra-processed foods.
measurementApproximately half of national food-based dietary guideline graphics include depictions of water, and about half include depictions of physical activity.
claimThe World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provided guidance to countries on the development of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) in 1998.
claimNational food-based dietary guidelines generally apply to all healthy individuals aged two years and older, though many documents include specific guidance for subgroups such as vegetarians, pregnant women, or lactating women, as seen in Lebanon's Food-based Dietary Guidelines.
referenceGovernments develop technical documents to communicate and implement Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs), which may include results of systematic reviews of diet-health relationships, diet modeling studies, and references to systematic reviews from other sources, such as New Zealand's documentation of evidence.
claimInfants and young children under two years of age are the most common demographic to receive separate and specific dietary guidance in national food-based dietary guidelines, as exemplified by the technical and consumer-facing guidelines for Panama.
claimFull implementation of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) involves developing targeted consumer education strategies and integrating guidelines into sectoral policies and programs to ensure healthy diets are available, accessible, and affordable, according to Wijesinha-Bettoni et al. (2021).
measurementAs of December 2021, the FAO repository of national food-based dietary guidelines contained documents for 33 European countries, 31 countries in the Americas, 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and 7 African countries.
claimGovernments develop sector-specific policies, regulations, and guidance to implement Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs), such as policies for school meal programs, as seen in the United States.
referenceThe FAO repository for national food-based dietary guidelines includes the following standard information for each country: the official name of the guidelines, publication year, development process and stakeholders, intended audience and age groups, description of the food guide graphic, key messages, and links to downloadable materials and government websites.
claimThe two most commonly used graphics in national food-based dietary guidelines are versions of a pyramid or a plate/food circle.
Sustainable and healthy diet index (SHDI) unveils regional ... link.springer.com Sep 11, 2025 3 facts
claimAligning food group classifications across nationally differing Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) presents methodological challenges, which supports the use of a globally consistent benchmark like the Planetary Health Diet (PHD).
referenceTetens I, Birt CA, Brink E et al. (2020) published 'Food-based dietary guidelines-development of a conceptual framework for future food-based dietary guidelines in Europe' in the British Journal of Nutrition, which reports on a 2018 Federation of European Nutrition Societies Task-Force workshop in Copenhagen regarding dietary guidelines.
claimThe Planetary Health Diet (PHD) was chosen as a benchmark for the Sustainable and Healthy Diet Index (SHDI) because it provides a globally applicable reference point, unlike local food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) or traditional diets like the Mediterranean diet, which are not uniformly applicable across all case study territories.
Editorial: Local, traditional and indigenous food systems in the 21st ... frontiersin.org 2 facts
claimSubstituting typical Iranian dietary intake with optimal diets from other food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) could lead to significant reductions in environmental footprints (water, carbon, and land) and costs.
claimTraditional and indigenous cultural practices require a greater evidence base to be incorporated into public health nutrition initiatives, such as food-based dietary guidelines.
Measurement of diets that are healthy, environmentally sustainable ... frontiersin.org 2 facts
referenceSpringmann et al. (2020) used a modeling study to evaluate the healthiness and sustainability of national and global food-based dietary guidelines.
claimShifting consumption patterns in high- and middle-income countries to align with national food-based dietary guidelines would simultaneously generate environmental and health benefits.
Health and environmental impacts of diets worldwide globalnutritionreport.org 2 facts
referenceThe study 'The healthiness and sustainability of national and global food based dietary guidelines: modelling study' by Springmann M, Spajic L, Clark MA, et al. was published in the BMJ in 2020 (370: 2322).
claimHealthy and sustainable dietary patterns exceed the standards set by existing national food-based dietary guidelines and the World Health Organization guidelines regarding diet-related disease mortality, nutritional adequacy, and environmental sustainability.
Measuring Adherence to Sustainable Healthy Diets - R Discovery discovery.researcher.life Dec 26, 2022 1 fact
claimFood-based dietary guidelines serve as a policy tool to guide the formulation, manufacturing, processing, labeling, and marketing of alternative protein products to ensure they complement traditional plant- and animal-source proteins.
[PDF] 1 Global analysis reveals persistent shortfalls and regional ... - arXiv arxiv.org 1 fact
claimFood-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) demonstrate substantial agreement in recommending the consumption of fruits, vegetables, starchy staples, animal-source foods, oils and fats, and legumes.
Dietary Diversity Indicators: Cultural Preferences and Health ... frontiersin.org 1 fact
claimMany national and international food-based dietary guidelines include dietary diversity as an essential feature, though definitions vary based on country and cultural nutritional patterns.
A Consensus Proposal for Nutritional Indicators to Assess ... - Frontiers frontiersin.org 1 fact
claimThe abbreviation FBDG stands for food-based dietary guidelines.
A Scoping Review of Indicators for Sustainable Healthy Diets frontiersin.org Jan 12, 2022 1 fact
claimThe authors of the scoping review emphasize the urgent need to develop both country-specific indices based on food-based dietary guidelines and a global diet quality index to facilitate cross-country comparisons.