Volume 49, Issue 1 pp. 108-119
NEWS AND VIEWS

Adherence to the Eatwell Guide and population and planetary health: A Rank Prize Forum report

Oliver M. Shannon

Corresponding Author

Oliver M. Shannon

Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Correspondence

Oliver M. Shannon, Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

Email: [email protected]

Search for more papers by this author
Rebecca Townsend

Rebecca Townsend

School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dame Margaret Barbour Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Fiona C. Malcomson

Fiona C. Malcomson

Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Jamie Matu

Jamie Matu

School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Alex Griffiths

Alex Griffiths

School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Amy Jennings

Amy Jennings

School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Nicola Ward

Nicola Ward

School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Keren Papier

Keren Papier

Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Nicola Best

Nicola Best

Department of Health Professions, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Chloe French

Chloe French

School of Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Pauline Scheelbeek

Pauline Scheelbeek

Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Curie Kim

Curie Kim

Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, School of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Bertha Ochieng

Bertha Ochieng

Centre for Primary Care Research, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Fareeha Jay

Fareeha Jay

Lifestyle Change Ltd, Saltash, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Kaydee Shepherd

Kaydee Shepherd

School of Health, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Bernard Corfe

Bernard Corfe

Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Andrea Fairley

Andrea Fairley

School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dame Margaret Barbour Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Claire T. McEvoy

Claire T. McEvoy

School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Anne-Marie Minihane

Anne-Marie Minihane

Nutrition and Preventive Medicine, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Yi Jia Sim

Yi Jia Sim

School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dame Margaret Barbour Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Emma Stevenson

Emma Stevenson

Human Nutrition & Exercise Research Centre, Centre for Healthier Lives, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Dame Margaret Barbour Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Search for more papers by this author
Sarah Gregory

Sarah Gregory

Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 31 January 2024
Citations: 1

Oliver M. Shannon and Rebecca Townsend shared first author.

Abstract

This report summarises a Forum conducted in June 2023 to explore the current state of the knowledge around the Eatwell Guide, which is the UK government's healthy eating tool, in relation to population and planetary health. The 1.5-day Forum highlighted the limited, albeit promising evidence linking higher adherence to the Eatwell Guide with favourable health outcomes, including reduced overall mortality risk, lower abdominal obesity in post-menopausal women and improved cardiometabolic health markers. Similarly, evidence was presented to suggest that higher adherence to the Eatwell Guide is associated with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Presentations were given around cultural adaptations of the Eatwell Guide, including African Heritage and South Asian versions, which are designed to increase the acceptability and uptake of the Eatwell Guide in these communities in the United Kingdom. Presentations highlighted ongoing work relevant to the applications of the Eatwell Guide in randomised controlled trials and public health settings, including the development of a screening tool to quantify Eatwell Guide adherence. The Forum ended with a World Café-style event, in which the strengths and limitations of the Eatwell Guide were discussed, and directions for future research were identified. This Forum report serves as a primer on the current state of the knowledge on the Eatwell Guide and population and planetary health and will be of interest to researchers, healthcare professionals and public health officials.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data sharing not applicable.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.