Comparative analysis of nutrition policies in the WHO European Region

In September 2000, the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, in which all 51 Member States of the WHO European Region were represented, endorsed the First Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy, WHO European Region 2000–2005. The Action Plan stresses the need to develop food and nutrition policies. The WHO European Region evaluated the developments of national policies in three different surveys in 1994–1995, 1998–1999, 2003 and 2005. This report presents mainly the results from the surveys undertaken in 2003 and 2005 but also the trends since 1994–1995. The number of national documents containing nutrition, advisory and administrative structures increased, indicating that food and nutrition policies have become part of the public health policy agenda. Nutrition-related diseases are still responsible for a large part of the disease burden in the Region, and implementing nutrition policies still represents a major challenge.