The project was carried out by AGES in cooperation with the Austrian Society for Nutrition (ÖGE) on behalf of the Climate and Health Competence Centre of Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG) and the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK).
Aim of the project
As nutrition has a major influence on health, but also on the environment, the aim of the project was to revise and update the omnivorous dietary recommendations and, for the first time, to develop ovo-lacto-vegetarian dietary recommendations, taking into account health and climate parameters.
Methodology
The method of mathematical modelling was used to calculate the food-based dietary recommendations (FBDGs) - this enables the simultaneous consideration of dietary and health parameters (energy and nutrient intake as well as food-health relationships), environmental and climate parameters (greenhouse gas emissions and land use) and consumption habits in Austria. The underlying Austrian optimisation model is based on the model of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), which was developed jointly with the French company MS-Nutrition.
Based on the modelling results, omnivorous and ovo-lacto-vegetarian dietary recommendations for Austria were derived together with the ÖGE. The recommendations were then discussed in detail with the experts of the National Nutrition Commission (NEK) and approved by them.
Results
The resulting dietary recommendations are plant-orientated with a low proportion of animal-based foods. The greenhouse gas emissions and land use associated with the diet are each reduced by more than 50 % compared to normal consumption in Austria.
Outlook
The new dietary recommendations are an essential basis for a wide range of measures in the field of nutrition-related prevention. They are scientifically based guidelines for the implementation of an optimal dietary pattern that is beneficial to health, reduces environmental and climate impact and also takes into account the eating habits of the population. The new FBDGs are an important step towards a health-promoting and more climate and environmentally friendly diet.