Danes are asked to follow the dietary guidelines
If consumers get less salt, red meat and processed meat and saturated fat, there can be big benefits to be gained, according to a recent report from the University of Copenhagen. The report is used by the Ministry of Food to ask Danes to follow the dietary guidelines issued in January this year in order to achieve the goal of a healthy life and to protect the climate.
Denmark can avoid more than 1,000 deaths each year and achieve a health-economic gain of just over DKK 12 billion (€1.6 billion) if consumers eat more according to Denmark's official dietary advice.
The direct health-financial gain, such as saved beds in hospitals, is five percent of the total gain. The rest is roughly equally divided between the value of improved work productivity and the value of increased quality of life. Overall, the potential for health improvements by living up to all dietary guidelines is roughly equal across business statuses.
"We can all in our way make a difference to our quality of life, society and, of course, to the climate if we eat healthier. Next year, I will launch the new, climate-friendly dietary tips that will help give more desire to green and healthy eating habits," said Food Minister Mogens Jensen.
The Minister has asked the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration to consider the researchers' points in their work on the new climate-friendly dietary advice. Also, together with the climate minister, Mogens Jensen will launch a consumer campaign with tips on how the Danes can make more climate-friendly everyday food with less meat and more vegetables.
"If we can help more people get a better, longer and more productive life, while also saving money in health care, we as a society have an obligation to act. This does not only apply to the individual consumer. Also, important players such as retail can make a difference and do more for consumers to make healthy choices and put green with the shopping basket, and I would like to encourage that," added Mogens Jensen.
Collaboration with actors across the food area is an important part of the Ministry of Environment and Food's efforts to spread healthier and greener food habits among Danes. This is done through the Innovation Partnership, where, among other things, retail, food producers and authorities work together to make the healthy choice the easy choice for the Danes. In the public-private partnership, the Council for Healthy Food also joins public and private actors with civil society on common ambitions, among other things, to create good habits and a healthy food culture for the next generation.
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