Ultra-processed foods in Bangladesh are full of salt—and often not saying so
People around the world are consuming more sodium from processed and ultra-processed foods—and Bangladesh is no exception. A new country-wide cross-sectional study highlights concerning realities: 97% of participants consumed processed or ultra-processed foods in the past week Children consumed processed or ultra-processed foods approximately 21 times per week, adolescents 16 times per week, and adults […]
Uncontrolled high blood pressure puts over a billion people at risk
More than 1.4 billion people lived with hypertension in 2024, yet only one in five have it under control, according to a new WHO report released with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives.
Designing Front-of-Package Labels to Inform Consumers and Encourage Healthier Food Choices in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study
This study, co-authored by the RTSL nutrition team, uses focus groups of consumers in Bangladesh to better understand purchasing decisions and effectiveness of nutrition labels. Chief food purchase concerns include that a food has sufficient beneficial nutrients, is free from germs or toxins, and does not contain high levels of nutrients of concern. Results suggest […]
Global overview of government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies of packaged foods: a document review
Clear and accurate nutrition labeling on food products is an important way for consumers to understand what’s in the foods they buy. This new comprehensive review in Frontiers led by partners at the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and co-authored by Resolve to Save Lives shows that governments are scaling up action to help consumers make informed food […]
Research Roundup: March to July 2024
At Resolve to Save Lives, we use our deep technical expertise to support countries in saving lives from the world’s leading killers. Check out these six peer-reviewed articles that RTSL staff contributed to last quarter!
Five countries commit to implementing comprehensive sodium reduction policies to improve health and save at least 39,000 lives per year
New commitments made at 77th World Health Assembly event hosted by Resolve to Save Lives and NCD Alliance 28 May 2024 (GENEVA, SWITZERLAND)—Bangladesh, Cameroon, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Singapore made new commitments today to implement comprehensive policies that will protect their populations from the harms of high-sodium diets. These commitments, made during the 77th World Health […]
Beating the world’s leading killer with Simple solutions
Learn more about how data from Simple has helped Bangladesh target quality improvement interventions and improve outcomes in blood pressure control programs.
Better data, better outcomes for blood pressure in Bangladesh
Bangladesh tripled its blood pressure control rate (from 20% to nearly 60%) with support from Resolve to Save Lives.
Plan of Action for the Prevention of Obesity in Children and Adolescents (2014)
PAHO 5-year Plan of Action for Prevention of Obesity in Children and Adolescents includes fiscal policies, food marketing regulation, school nutrition improvements, and breastfeeding promotion across the Americas.
Implementation Guide for School Food Standards in Uruguay
Implementation guide for implementing school nutrition standards. Training materials, for food handlers are also available. (Spanish)
The School Food Trust: transforming school lunches in England
Reports evidence of the improvements in provision, choice and consumption of food in schools following the introduction of legislation and a national programme of work to change catering practices and the attitudes of pupils, parents and others to healthier food provision in schools. It also provides objective evidence of the impact of healthier food on […]
Legal guide on school food and nutrition: Guide on legislating for a healthy school food environment
Provides practical information and guidance for developing or revising national legal frameworks related to school food and nutrition.
The Global database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action – Public Food Procurement
The data summary shows countries with mandatory and/or voluntary healthy public food procurement and service policies, with the setting covered indicated.
Estimating the Potential Health Impact and Costs of Implementing a Local Policy for Food Procurement to Reduce the Consumption of Sodium in the County of Los Angeles
Uses health impact assessment methods to simulate levels of reduction in the sodium content of food served by Los Angeles County. Analysis predicts that adults would consume, on average, 233 fewer milligrams of sodium each day, if specific food procurement sodium strategies were implemented and models impact on blood pressure, cases of uncontrolled hypertension, and […]
Food Service Guidelines Organizational Policy Template
A template for organizational food policy guidelines adapted from the CDC
Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities (2017)
Standards for food, nutrition, facility efficiency, environmental support, community development, food safety and behavioral design for use in food service concession and vending operations.
Food and Nutrition Policy for Schools: A Tool for the Development of School Nutrition Programmes in the European Region (2006)
Recommendations on how schools can best promote health through offering education and practice of good nutrition.
Effect of changes to the school food environment on eating behaviours and/or body weight in children: a systematic review
Reviews the evidence for the effect of isolated food environment interventions on both eating behaviors (including food purchasing) and/or body weight (all examples from US/UK). Seventeen of 18 papers reported a positive outcome on either BMI (or change in BMI) or the healthfulness of food sold or consumed.
The Power of Procurement
Provides an argument for: sourcing preferentially from small-scale food producers, guaranteeing fair wages and prices along the food supply chain, nutrition standards, sourcing locally whenever possible and expecting suppliers to produce food sustainably, increasing participation and accountability in the food system.
City of Philadelphia Nutrition Standards website
Includes links to the city’s Executive Order, nutrition standards, and implementation resources, such as a menu planning toolkit.
Healthy school meals and educational outcomes
Provides evidence on the effects of diet on educational outcomes, using a campaign lead in the UK in 2004, which introduced changes in the meals offered in schools – shifting from low-budget processed meals toward healthier options. Educational outcomes improved significantly in English and Science, and authorized absences, which are most likely linked to illness […]
CDC Healthy Food Environments website
Resources to support implementation and evaluation of nutrition standards in childcare site, schools, hospitals and workplaces.
CDC Heathy Foodservice Guidelines website
Guide to implementing the US Food Service Guidelines, including cafeterias, concession stands, snack bars, and vending machines; includes link to Smart Food Choices (Assessment Tool, page 30).
Action framework for developing and implementing public food procurement and service policies for a healthy diet
Provides an overview of how to develop, implement, assess compliance with, and evaluate the effectiveness of a healthy public food procurement and service policy. It is intended for government policy makers or program managers working on public food procurement or service, at either a national or a subnational level, including at regional, provincial and city […]
At the crossroads: new paradigms of food security, public health nutrition and school food
Describes the emerging dynamics of the new food insecurity crisis and its implications for public health nutritionists; suggests the adoption of a systemic approach and uses school food systems as an example.
Audits and Inspections Toolkit (2011)
Checklist for schools and catering providers to demonstrate compliance with school food standards.
Uruguayan Schools Slowly Say Goodbye to Junk Food.
Describes the bill passed by the Chamber of Deputies to prohibit the promotion and advertising of junk food on school premises. Law 19.140: “Proteccion de la Salud de la Poblacion Infantil y Adolescente a Traves de la Promocion de Habitos Alimenticios Saludables.” (2014)
ACT Public School Food and Drink Policy
Describes nutrition standards for schools, including links to legislation.
There’s a silent killer in your food
Short video from NCD Alliance on the risks of trans fat consumption
Global protocol for measuring fatty acid profiles of foods
WHO’s a global laboratory protocol for measuring fatty acid profiles of foods, with emphasis on monitoring trans-fatty acids.