Richtlijnen goede voeding: een mijlpaal voor consument, arts en industrie?

– In April 1986 the Netherlands Nutrition Council published the report Guidelines for Good Nutrition. The recommended guidelines are far from revolutionary and are in agreement with most of the dietary recommendations in western countries. The main question, however, is whether we are able to develop a successful strategy for the future. This will largely depend on the question whether some consensus can be reached between those involved in food and nutrition issues at any level. This includes amongst others the food industry, policy makers and researchers in health and nutrition. For this purpose it is important to monitor developments in the food and nutrition field and to study relevant signals from society. Important topics from the latter may be: the need, development and use of new foods; the role of, for example culture, holidays and medical care on dietary habits; the community nutrition education approach or a more targetting of nutrition programmes to individuals based upon clear nutrition physiological criteria. All activities are based upon the generally accepted hypothesis that food-nutrition-health do show a very strong relationship. Such activities therefore should no longer be seen as wishful thinking but as an absolute necessity.