Incorporating the catering sector in nutrition policies of WHO European Region: is there a good recipe?
OBJECTIVE: To review how countries of the WHO European Region address issues related to the catering sector in their nutrition policy plans. DESIGN: Documentary analysis of national nutrition policy documents from the policy database of the WHO Regional Office for Europe by a multidisciplinary research team. Recurring themes were identified and related information extracted in an analysis matrix. Case studies were performed for realistic evaluation. SETTING: Fifty-three member states of the WHO European Region in September 2007. RESULTS: The catering sector is a formally acknowledged stakeholder in national nutrition policies in about two-thirds of countries of the European region. Strategies developed for the catering sector are directed mainly towards labelling of foods and prepared meals, training of health and catering staff, and advertising. Half of the countries reviewed propose dialogue structures with the catering sector for the implementation of the policy. However, important
