Government Food Guidelines Carelessly Left Past its Sell-by Date

While the government has been lecturing the public on its eating habits for over a decade in an attempt to change dangerously bad habits and remove threat of a looming crisis to the NHS, it may have been doing so on very outdated information.

The government’s RNI (Reference Nutrient Intake) and DRV (Dietary Reference Values) have not been updated since 1991 – this can be a world of difference in terms of what can go into the products found on British supermarket shelves. Some of the current UK government advice would be considered positively dangerous in the US and Canada.

The AnswerBank.co.uk’s Nutritional Science Correspondent commented:

“Whether it is negligence or tightfistedness on the part of the government it may be considered suspect to push a “healthy eating agenda” without actually using an up-to-date set of guidelines. People are potentially damaging themselves without knowing it because the food they eat is labelled as “healthy,” without necessarily being so.”

The US updated their equivalent database 10 years ago and safety differences are noticeable when compared to the long in the tooth UK advice.

The AnswerBank.co.uk’s Nutritional Science Correspondent continues:

“The UK guidelines could be considered very antiquated compared to the more up-to-date North American database. A nearly two decade gap between revisions is seen as stretching the information a little too far past its sell-by date by a number of nutritional scientists.”

With health issues becoming more important in government policy, especially with the prospect of NHS funding being squeezed under the next government, it is important to have a robust and up-to-date database available. People need to know they can trust official guidelines on health and wellbeing.

TheAnswerBank.co.uk Nutritional Science Correspondent Concludes:

“UK consumers are often not aware that the contents of the food they are eating is based on a very outdated system. Science has progressed and is constantly finding better information regarding the dangers and benefits of our food. To use a system which was put in place 20 years ago is like consulting Victorian medical science on the benefits of smoking!”