– The dough looks like dough, in any case, says Sivert Klingenberg to fellow student Marius Skovbo Andreassen. There is a Sami theme in the kitchen for the cookery students at Bodø upper secondary school. The gahkko dough is run until firm in the kneading machine. A Sami bread made with syrup, anise, and both fine and coarse flour. On the table next to it, the other students cut up carrots, potatoes and onions for a classic bidos. And already here, the chef students are doing something that the authorities would like us all to do more of. Fiasco worth several million kroner In December 2016, the health authorities and the food industry signed an agreement to work to improve Norwegians’ diet. The goals were clear: We were to eat 20 per cent more fish, fruit and berries, vegetables and coarse cereals, among other things. In addition, we should eat less added sugar and saturated fat. In order to achieve these goals, several measures were implemented. Including the campaign #Merav in 2018. More about all the measures that were started Linda Granlund in the Directorate of Health writes the following in an email to news: The actors in the letter of intent worked with, among other things, product development, shelf placement, nudging and other means the food industry has to contribute to to increase sales of these foods. In addition to communication and campaigns that should help to inspire and motivate to eat more vegetables, fruit, berries, coarse grain products and fish and seafood. Within communication and campaigns, the #Merav concept was launched in 2018. The Merav concept included commercials and various content for use in social media, in addition to an industry seminar to discuss how to increase consumption of these food groups. The Directorate of Health does not want to say what the various campaigns have cost in detail. But each campaign has been budgeted with between NOK 500,000 and 1.5 million annually. Commercial films and various inspirations for cooking were some of the campaigns #Merav focused on. The Directorate of Health cannot answer exactly what the #Merav concept and the other campaigns have cost. But each campaign has been budgeted with between NOK 500,000 and 1.5 million annually. Now, about seven years after the agreement was signed, they are far from the goals of a 20 percent increase. We eat less fish, less fruit, berries and coarse grain products, and get the same amount of saturated fat as before. – The goals of a 20 percent increase in the consumption of these products were an ambitious goal. We see that other measures are needed for us to be able to achieve this, writes Linda Granlunds in the Directorate of Health in an e-mail to news. – The declining consumption of fruit and berries is negative for public health. We would also like to see more people choose to replace some of the red meat with fish, seafood or vegetarian dishes. This will also have a good effect on health, since meat and especially processed meat products are one of the biggest sources of saturated fat, which we want people to consume less of. The cooking students at Bodø VGS are not necessarily surprised. Nor do they choose fruit and wholemeal bread first when they have to eat. IMPORTANT JOB: Sivert Klingenberg does the most important job for a chef: He cleans up after himself. But are the authorities able to clean up Norwegians’ eating habits? Photo: Petter Strøm / news Buns and Red Bull – I actually eat oatmeal for breakfast most of the time, but the dinners can quickly become little varied. A toast perhaps, says Sivert Klingenberg. – There will mostly be buns from the store and Red Bull, says Marius Skovbo Andreassen. – Than fish? – I don’t have a very good relationship with fish. I guess it’s not part of my diet. Erica Johansen has a slightly different diet to her classmates. – I live in a dormitory, so I try to make it a bit cheap when it comes to dinner. There will be a lot of chickpeas, beans, pasta and vegetable mixes from the freezer. – What does eating healthy do to you? – It gives me a little more energy in everyday life. But despite the fact that it feels good for Erica Johansen to eat healthy, and we hear it from many quarters that fruit, vegetables, whole grains and seafood are good for us, we therefore do not eat more of these things. Why? LOTS OF VEGETABLES: Erica Johansen prepares onions and carrots for a bidos. She herself eats a lot of vegetables on a daily basis. Photo: Petter Strøm / news – I think the price is an important reason, says Erica Johansen. – What is not good for us is getting cheaper and what is good for us to eat is becoming increasingly expensive, says Sivert Klingenberg. It is no secret that food prices have increased in recent years. But it is interesting to see what increases in price the most. Figures from Statistics Norway show that the prices of fish and seafood have increased considerably more than other foodstuffs, beaten only by oil and fat. Linda Granlund in the Directorate of Health also believes that price plays an important role. – There are probably several factors that play a role in the consumption of these foods. Among other things, we see in our annual surveys that price is one of the most important drivers when people buy food. Then it is, among other things, unfavorable that the consumer price index has increased significantly more for fish than for meat, she writes. – We know that price instruments work. We have therefore several times suggested that one should look at lower taxation on healthy food and higher taxes and fees on unhealthy food as a means of action. But is the Norwegian diet a complete crisis? A report from the Directorate of Health shows that we Norwegians get more or less the recommended amount of the nutrients we need. At the same time, we eat slightly more saturated fat and added sugar than recommended. – There are many good things about the Norwegian diet, but also several challenges. For example, too little intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish, and too much sugar, salt and saturated fat. We also know that there are major differences in diet in the population, especially among young people and those with a lower socioeconomic status, writes Linda Granlund. Recently, the directorate and the food industry gathered for a seminar in Oslo, where they discussed, among other things, the way forward to get us to eat more of the healthy foods. FOCUS ON WHAT WE SHOULD EAT MORE OF: Linda Granlund in the Directorate of Health says that they think it is best to focus on what you should eat more of, not what you should eat less of, for a better diet. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – The messages about what we should eat more of have become part of the Directorate of Health’s overall communication concept, Lev. It highlights small measures that can be taken to improve both physical and mental health. Such a concept has meant that we have been able to be present to a greater extent in relevant channels throughout larger parts of the year, unlike in the past where we ran our own #MerAv campaigns for a 3-4 week period each year, writes Linda Granlund. And if you need some very specific tips, the cooking students at Bodø VGS have some healthy tricks up their sleeves. – We often make wok with fried salmon and vegetables, it’s simple and good, says Sivert Klingenberg. – Taco soup is smart. Then you cook soup with whatever vegetables you have in the fridge, and any leftover taco sauce, a little water and taco seasoning, says Erica Johansen. POSSIBLE: Sivert Klingenberg (left), Erica Johansen and Marius Skovbo Andreassen recommend you find some new, healthy recipes online and give them a try. Photo: Petter Strøm / news
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Should make Norwegians eat healthier. Instead, we eat less fruit, fish and coarse grain products – news Nordland
