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REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON MONITORING SCOTTISH DIETARY TARGETS
1. Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.1.1 In 1993 The Scottish Diet Report (The Scottish Office, 1993), revealed the extent of Scotland's poor diet and its adverse impact on health. Following its publication, a series of population based targets for dietary improvements in Scotland were announced in 1994. These Scottish Dietary Targets became the basis of the Scottish Diet Action Plan (SDAP),
'Eating for Health' (The Scottish Office, 1996). The targets are a set of recommendations for the intake of specific nutrients, the percentage of food energy to be provided by fat, saturated fat and non-milk extrinsic (NME) sugars, and population averages in grams for the intake of certain types of food (e.g. fruit and vegetables).
1.1.2 The targets were intended for achievement between 1996-2005. However, the Scottish Executive's health policy document
'Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge' (Scottish Executive, 2003) sets out a commitment to further implementation until at least 2010. Eating for Health - Meeting the Challenge (Scottish Executive 2004) establishes a joint implementation strategy with delivery partners for the further and ongoing implementation of the SDAP, strengthening the delivery of co-ordinated action. As part of this renewed impetus on diet and health, progress towards the Scottish Dietary Targets must be measured.
1.2 The Working Group on Monitoring Scottish Dietary Targets
1.2.1 The Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) and the Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) established a Working Group on Monitoring Scottish Dietary Targets in April 2003. Its membership was designed to include academic, health professional and public health policy representatives. Working Group members are given in
Appendix 1.
1.2.2 The Working Group's remit was:
1.2.3 The Working Group met five times between June 2003 and January 2004 on the following dates:
Meeting 1 - 13
th June 2003
Meeting 2 (workshop) - 4
th/5
th September 2003
Meeting 3 - 30
th October 2003
Meeting 4 - 4
th December 2003
Meeting 5 - 14
th January 2004
1.2.4 Initially, the Working Group sought to identify other interested parties that would be able to contribute to discussions and invited them to attend meetings. A list of additional people who attended meetings is given in
Appendix 2.
1.2.5 The Working Group commissioned a review of diet and health surveys currently taking place in Scotland and the United Kingdom (Wrieden W., Peace H., Armstrong J., 2003). The summary tables from this review can be found in
Appendix 3 and the full review is available from the FSA library, Aviation House, London or
www.food.gov.uk.
1.2.6 The Working Group discussed the results of the review and considered the advantages and limitations of each dietary methodology with respect to monitoring progress towards the Scottish Dietary Targets. Various options were then proposed.
1.2.6 This report details the Working Group's findings and sets out recommendations for monitoring progress towards the Scottish Dietary Targets in 2005 and beyond.
1.2.7 An evaluation of food and health initiatives implementing the SDAP is being undertaken and reported separately by NHS Health Scotland, as part of its wider role of evaluating the Scottish Executive's Health Improvement Strategy.
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