Sustainability is dish of the day during Healthy Eating Week

The British Nutrition Foundation is preparing to raise awareness about healthy and sustainable diets, and empower millions of adults and children to make positive changes towards ensuring that what they eat is not just good for their bodies but also for the planet, during its ‘biggest and best’ 10^th anniversary Healthy Eating Week, taking place 13 - 17 June.

Sara Stanner, science director at British Nutrition Foundation, said: “People today are more aware of the need to protect the environment than they were ten years ago when we held the first Healthy Eating Week. However, they aren’t yet necessarily making the connection between their food and eating habits, and the health of the planet. The volume and proliferation of information sources that people are consuming ten years on, many of which are sharing misinformation, is also causing confusion and may negatively impact healthy dietary behaviours.”

With the aim of helping to debunk misunderstandings and empower people to achieve a diet that is both healthy and sustainable, British Nutrition Foundation Healthy Eating Week 2022 will focus on how to ‘Eat well for you and the planet’.

Stanner continued: “As we look to the future, ensuring our diets are not just healthy for us, but for the planet, is critical – food production currently contributes to around 37 per cent of greenhouse gases. While the environmental impact of different foods can vary widely, there are some general principles we can all follow to aim for a healthier and more sustainable diet. For example, by diversifying our sources of protein to include more plant foods – such as pulses (beans, lentils and peas), nuts and seeds – we can improve our own health and reduce our environmental footprint too. In addition, food waste accounts for as much as 10 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions globally, therefore raising awareness about how people can waste less and reuse more is essential.”

For the last decade, Healthy Eating Week has been helping and inspiring people to lead healthier lives by providing nurseries, schools, universities, workplaces, health centres, communities and individuals with a wide range of free activities and resources, based on five daily challenges.

Millions of children and adults participate in Healthy Eating Week each year and, since it launched in 2013, the Week has received over 58,300 registrations from schools, nurseries and workplaces across the UK. Last year alone, there were over 6,400 registrations, representing at least 1.5 million participants. Healthy Eating Week has continued to expand its reach year on year and the Week now welcomes universities, workplaces, families and individuals to take part, with resources and activities tailored to different age groups and demographics.

Stanner added: “When Healthy Eating Week launched in 2013, 67 per cent of men and 57 per cent of women in England were classified as overweight or obese. This number is now 68 per cent and 60 per cent respectively and obesity levels among children are also rising. So, it’s clear more work needs to be done and raising awareness of how to achieve healthy eating and lifestyles needs to remain a top priority. For Healthy Eating Week 2022, therefore, we would like to encourage as many individuals as possible to register and take part in the daily challenges. Healthy Eating Week provides an opportunity to introduce healthy habits and, by getting involved, you can discover how easy it is to achieve a diet that is both healthy and sustainable.”

Healthy Eating Week centres around five daily challenges, supported by a series of informative, evidence-based resources and fun activities suitable for the classroom, workplaces or for individuals to take on. The Healthy Eating Week 2022 challenges are:

· Focus on fibre – for meals and snacks

· Get at least 5 A DAY – put plenty on your plate

· Vary your protein – be more creative

· Stay hydrated – fill up from the tap

· Reduce food waste – know your portions

To find out more about Healthy Eating Week 2022 and to register, please visit: https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthy-eating-week/

The British Nutrition Foundation, a registered charity, delivers impartial, authoritative and evidence-based information on food and nutrition. Its core purpose is translating evidence-based nutrition science in engaging and actionable ways, working with an extensive network of contacts across academia, health care, education, communication and the food chain.

A core strength of the Foundation is its governance structure (described in the Articles of Association), which comprises a Board of Trustees, Advisory Committee, Scientific Committee, Editorial Advisory Board, Education Working Groups and a Nominations Committee, on which serve senior/experienced individuals from many walks of life. The composition is deliberately weighted towards the scientific ‘academic’ community, based in universities and research institutes, and those from education, finance, media, communications and HR backgrounds.

The British Nutrition Foundation’s funding comes from: membership subscriptions; donations and project grants from food producers and manufacturers, retailers and food service companies; contracts with government departments; conferences, publications and training; overseas projects; funding from grant providing bodies, trusts and other charitie