This snapshot presents strengths and weaknesses of national nutrition policy actions in the Netherlands. Compare the Netherlands with other European countries in our NOURISHING policy index.
> Read the NOURISHING snapshot for the Netherlands in English or Dutch
The Netherlands implements nutrition and diet-related policy actions in 9 out of the 10 policy areas in the NOURISHING framework. Policy areas that receive a good assessment refer to limits or removal of specific nutrients in food products (I1), increasing public awareness of healthy eating through communication campaigns (I2), and nutrition advice and counselling in healthcare settings (N2).
Implementation is lacking on nutrition label standards and regulations (N1) beyond EU level policies. There is an absence of sugar-sweetened beverage provisions in schools and of regulations on food availability within the school vicinity which impact well-designed standards on school food and food in other out-of-education locations (O). Weaknesses are identified in training for healthcare professionals and caterers in nutrition education and skills (G).
No action was taken with regards to financial incentives to increase affordability and accessibility of healthier food (U). Greater action should be taken where a poor or fair assessment was received, such as reducing exposure to young people in food advertising and marketing, particularly in/around schools (R), increasing the healthiness of the retail environment (S), along with strengthening public food procurement policies by implementing additional policy actions within this area (H).
Download a full analysis and breakdown of the Netherlands’s results (pdf, English)
This country snapshot presents detailed results of the NOURISHING policy index for the Netherlands. Full index results are outlined in the NOURISHING policy brief (pdf), which compares the Netherlands 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 the Netherlands, 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 Netherlands 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
