Dietary Patterns for Health and Sustainability: From Experts’ Opinions to Action for the WHO European Region

Background: To reduce the negative impact of diets on human and planetary health, healthy and sustainable ones need to be adopted. Food systems account for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions. ‘Dietary Patterns for Health and Sustainability’ is a World Health Organization project that aims to build consensus among international food, health, and sustainability experts and policymakers on actions and policies that could be implemented in the WHO European Region. Methods: Online interviews were conducted with 19 experts from European countries to elicit their views on multiple dimensions of food sustainability and health. Interviews were followed by a Nominal Group Technique and focus groups carried out during a participatory workshop with 32 experts. Findings: The aspects emphasised in the individual interviews and during the workshop were: the need for a multi-stakeholder approach and for simultaneous implementation of aligned and coherent policies at both local and regional levels; the call for a shift towards plant-based diets with a reduction in food waste; and the importance of adapting recommendations to each context (local, regional or national).Interpretation The study findings will be key to helping policymakers make decisions on improving dietary patterns for citizens’ health and wellbeing, in line with the European Programme of Work (EPW) and the Sustainable Development Goals in the European Region. Funding: This research was funded by the WHO Regional office for Europe. Funding for the publication was received from the Government of the Russian Federation within the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office). Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.