This snapshot presents strengths and weaknesses of national nutrition policy actions in Belgium. Compare Belgium with other European countries in our NOURISHING policy index.
> Read the NOURISHING snapshot for Belgium in English, Flemish or French
Belgium implements policy actions at national government level in 9 out of the 10 policy areas of the NOURISHING framework. Two policy areas received a good assessment: increasing public awareness of healthy eating through communication campaigns and social marketing based on food-based dietary guidelines (I2) and setting limits or removal of specific nutrients in food products (I1), followed by a moderate assessment for nutrition label standards and regulations (N1) and setting rules and incentives for creating a healthy retail and food service environment (S).
The national government has taken some action using supply chain incentives to ensure coherence of food systems with health. However, key gaps in this policy areas include lack of nutrition standards for food procurement (H). Action on food standards in schools (O), nutrition counselling in healthcare settings (N2), and nutrition education and skills (G) may be the remit of regional governments in Belgium, which are not addressed in this snapshot.
Greater action should be taken in using financial incentives which increase the availability and affordability of healthy food (U), to accompany an existing sugar tax (U). Further, more needs to done to strengthen regulations around food marketing and advertising to young people, with marketing through sponsorship, point of sales measures and in/around schools being among the gaps (R).
Download a full analysis and breakdown of Belgium’s results (pdf, English)
This country snapshot presents detailed results of the NOURISHING policy index for Belgium. Full index results are outlined in the NOURISHING policy brief (pdf), which compares Belgium with other European countries and explains the methods for producing this snapshot and the index.
The index assesses if national government policy actions exist across all areas of the NOURISHING framework and, if so, how well designed they are. We produced this assessment by benchmarking policies from Belgium, collected through a comprehensive scan. You can view all benchmarked policies in our NOURISHING database.
We also have snapshots of physical activity policies in 30 European countries. Visit the Belgium page or see all the country snapshots.
The policy landscape in any country evolves over time. These findings reflect our knowledge as of May 2023. To provide feedback or suggest updates, please get in touch.
Fill in our feedback form or email the team policy@wcrf.org
