Data from household food budgetary surveys and regional, population-based, crosssectional studies show a declining trend in energy intake in the last decades, also applicable to protein, fat and carbohydrate intakes in absolute terms. The pattern suggests a lower fat content in the diet. Protein intake is 200% of the recommended level.

Spanish food patterns underwent dramatic changes between the 1960s and the 1980s, including an important increase in fat intake, up to 44% energy intake from fat in the 1980s. The trend changed in the 1990s, and current fat supply provides an average of 37% of energy intake. Main sources of fat in the Spanish diet are added fats for cooking (49% of total fat intake), especially olive oil; meat and meat products (25%); and a lower percentage provided by milk and dairy products. Most saturated fatty acids are supplied by meats (30%) and dairy products (27%).

Rapid urbanisation processes and the growing proportion of females in the active workforce have led to important changes in food patterns in the last decades. On the one hand, some changes had a positive impact, such as increasing variety in the diet and access to food; on the other hand, some changes moved the Spanish diet away from the traditional Mediterranean food pattern.

Current food patterns evidence high consumption of animal products: meat, fish, milk and dairy products. It seems advisable to increase consumption of plant foods, particularly whole-grain cereals, potatoes and pulses. Intake of fruit and vegetables shows a shift towards a greater consumption of processed foods rather than fresh products, and overall a greater consumption would be recommended.

Therapeutic properties have been attributed to the diet since ancient times. Epidemiological evidence starting in the early 1960s supports the relationship between different dietary components, dietary balance and the development of risk factors for prevalent chronic diseases in Western societies. There is also evidence supporting the protective effect of other components of the diet and lifestyle, like regular physical activity.

During the last two years, groups of Spanish experts in the field of food, nutrition and health sciences have been involved in the process of analysing each food group in Spanish food patterns under a standard format. For each food group, current level of consumption, trends and scientific evidence linking each particular group or its components with patterns of disease, risk factors or protective effects have been determined from a public health perspective.

Conclusions and recommendations for each food group, agreed under consensus by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) collaborative group of experts, are summarised and reflected in the Food Guide Pyramid presented in this paper.

The objective of this paper is to present the development of the Nutritional objectives for the Spanish Population. Preparation of draft documents contributed by different working groups was followed by a consensus meeting held in Bilbao on 5–7 October 2000, hosted by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition and sponsored by the World Health Organisation.

Establishing nutritional guidelines was conducted by: (1) analysing current food and nutritional data from nutritional surveys, for intermediate objectives; and (2) reviewing current scientific knowledge for final objectives. The objectives include intermediate and ultimate figures, and comprise percentage of energy from macronutrients and fatty acids, fruit and vegetable consumption, frequency of sweets, physical activity and body mass index, folate, calcium, sodium, fluoride and iodine intake, dietary fibre, cholesterol, alcohol and duration of breastfeeding.

The nutritional objectives for the Spanish population create a rational framework for the development of dietary guidelines and nutritional policies in Spain, within a Mediterranean context.

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) are an important problem in the world. Some 760 million people suffer from goitre and 1600 million are at risk. In Togo, a small West African country, the prevalence of visible goitre in 6–12-year-old children was 21.6% and 5.3% in two endemic regions in 1999. Goitre is considered endemic as it affects one adult in five. UNICEF–Togo (United Nations Children's Fund) in co-operation with the Togolese government has implemented different programmes with the aim of improving the survival and development of children and women and to defend and promote children's rights.

The aim of this paper is to describe the procedures followed and key results of a school-based nutrition education project implemented in Togo to prevent iodine deficiency disorders, by encouraging use of iodised salt.

This paper focuses on the provision of adequate training in nutrition education to health and other community development workers for their improved performance and achievement. The difficulties encountered and special care needed when dealing with low-income, chronically deprived communities are raised. A brief analysis of past and present trends in nutrition education is presented to show the progress made from restricted, authoritative and not very successful proposals to more comprehensive and participatory approaches. The need to train and update regional and field-level personnel on the new approaches, theories and models offered by nutrition education is highlighted, but the scant availability of resources for training activities may be a great limitation for this undertaking. The contribution of educational, social, psychological and communication sciences, as well as marketing, in improving and broadening the performance of health and nutrition education is recognised. Some successful nutrition education projects, implemented in different regions, using various approaches, have managed to improve the nutrition situation of low-income groups and could be used as good examples to be followed. Recommendations for implementing nutrition education projects or activities need to consider some prerequisites, such as good knowledge and analysis of the nutrition situation, careful selection of the strategies and methods, careful planning and implementation, and clear definition of the procedures and instruments for follow-up and evaluation.

Food transitions in history have been fast, violent processes in some cases, while on other occasions they have taken place slowly, overlapping the traditional food culture as food items are replaced by new ones. Despite the contribution of potato and maize to avoiding famine in Europe, the exclusive crop system caused serious problems. Main food transitions are currently taking place in Asia. Emerging economies face the dilemma of improving the health and well-being of the population while avoiding excess and surplus. The challenge is twofold: on the one hand, to counteract the negative effects of food transitions and, on the other, to fight against hunger and malnutrition.

Evidence suggests that the effect of fasting on performance is not uniform, but it is dependent on the basal nutritional status of the subject. Breakfast consumption has a short-term effect in improving selected learning skills, especially work memory. School breakfast programmes have a positive effect on the nutritional status of children, on school attendance and probably on dropout rates. The effect of breakfast consumption on school performance depends on the interaction between the programme, student characteristics (malnutrition) and school organisation. Unless the school setting guarantees a minimum quality standard, the benefits of breakfast consumption will not be evident in performance in complex areas like language or maths.

Background and objectives: Breakfast consumption is important for nutritional balance in all population groups. The objective of this paper is to describe breakfast consumption patterns in Spanish children and young people.

In order to be successful, public health nutrition strategies require the active collaboration of all stakeholders in the promotion of healthy diet and lifestyle patterns. The food industry plays an important role both in providing products that meet consumers' needs in terms of taste, convenience, quality, nutrition and value as well as in communicating to consumers about the importance of good nutrition, including the contribution of specific foods to a balanced diet. The food industry contributes to educational efforts regarding healthy diets and lifestyles both directly – through product labelling, advertising, educational materials, on-line communications and information provided by Consumer Services departments – and indirectly, through active involvement and participation in educational programmes pursued in collaboration with nutrition and health education authorities. Through ongoing dialogue with its consumers and research conducted on consumer knowledge and attitudes towards diet, the food industry can ensure that communications developed are motivating and relevant to consumers' lives. In this paper, the specific contribution of the food industry will be illustrated through the promotion of healthy eating habits among children, focusing in particular on the importance of the breakfast meal.