A review of the Eatwell Guide, published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, suggests that revisions should be made to make it a more useful tool for policy makers and consumers.
The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy diet. The guide was first introduced in 1995 as a way of visualising UK dietary guidelines.
It is has two main aims: to provide advice to consumers about healthy eating and as a tool for policy makers and health professionals
The guide depicts foods from different food groups in pie chart segments of varying sizes to represent the proportions needed for a healthy diet. In the most recent revision (published in 2016), a mathematical calculation, known as optimisation modelling, was introduced to calculate the segment angles.
Key points:
- The guide could be used for many policy-related purposes including setting population targets for food production and not just consumption;
- Future revisions should utilise optimisation modelling to consider the environmental sustainability of the diet as well as health considerations;
- The guide should be revised every five years using a pre-published protocol for greater transparency;
- Greater specificity about foods is needed if the guide is to be useful for consumers. This could be achieved by subdividing groups (particularly the beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins groups) and providing more information on particular foods such as red and processed meat and sugary drinks;
- The guide currently represents an ideal diet which may not be practical for everyone. To make it more practical for consumers, targets could be made time-bound;
- The guide does not take into account food processing, but it is difficult to see how this could be done without radical revision.
Mike Rayner, Professor of Population Health at Oxford Population Health, and author of the paper said ‘The pie chart segments, food groups, and lists of foods have essentially remained unchanged since 1995. The use of modelling to calculate the angles of the segments of the pie chart was a significant improvement to the scientific basis to the guide, but more should be done to make it as useful as possible today.
‘Various criticisms have been made of the Eatwell Guide – some reasonable, and some unfounded – ranging from debates about the science underpinning it, its impracticality, exclusion of food processing, the influence of food industry bodies on its recommendations, and whether environmental considerations should have been taken into account . This review provides suggestions which could feasibly be acted on to help create a healthier and more sustainable future for everyone.’
The review looks at the history of the Eatwell Guide, how it has been adapted in the years since its introduction, and how well the guide meets its aims. A paper by Dr Asha Kaur, Senior Researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, covers the affordability of the Eatwell Guide’s recommendations and is also published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.