and the Federal States are active to improve the quality of food in schools and kindergartens, to establish quality standards for food in community catering and to establish networks to better reach specific groups of the population. As a national strategy for better nutrition and more physical activity, these activities are jointly led by the Federal Ministries for Agriculture and Food and for Health. It is implemented in close cooperation with the Federal States and local authorities, who are responsible in first hand. It broadly takes on board research institutions and works as a multi-stakeholder initiative, linking nutrition, health, education, public information, and agriculture [23–26].
In 2017, the Federal Minister for Agriculture and Food, Christian Schmidt, has significantly pushed forward these activities by establishing the Federal Centre for Nutrition as a branch of the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food [27]. The Centre will not only continue the networking activities of the previously mentioned national strategy for better nutrition and more physical activity. It will expand and intensify them, for example regarding the quality of food in schools and kindergartens, the culture of having a meal together, as well as regards improved nutrition for mothers and their children, during pregnancy and the first 2 years after a child’s birth [28]. These are core objectives of Germany’s nutrition policy.
Furthermore, the Centre supports the Scientific Committee on the Composition of Foodstuffs in its task to ensure transparent consumer information, and it deals with the reduction of food losses along the value chain from the farm up to the final consumer. Communication is the Centre’s second pillar. Extensive information about nutritional issues and influence on the environment where people eat and make food choices will help empower consumers to make the appropriate choice about nutrition and to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
A comprehensive strategy will be set up to reach the general public directly, and via multipliers and through all appropriate media under the headline “From Knowledge to Action.” Together with the new Federal Institute for Research on Child Nutrition, these activities illustrate that Germany indeed places a high priority on improved nutrition quality. Federal Minister, Schmidt, did so in view of Germany´s obligation to reach the SDGs and the Commitments deriving from the Rome Declaration by the International Conference on Nutrition-2 in 2014 [29, 30]. Consequently, Germany will not focus on activities at the national level only.
On the contrary, we are deeply convinced that we can achieve our goals in Germany only in an intense exchange and cooperation with sister institutions in other countries. Nutrition is an issue for all of us. Malnutrition is a global issue, we may be differently affected, but the task remains the same. Consequently, Germany has given specific attention to nutritional issues already in the past in its support of the work of FAO and WHO. Scaling up nutrition is also a characterizing element of Germany’s development activities. Improving the nutritional situation in partner countries is a prime objective for German development cooperation projects in the framework of the German initiative “One World – No Hunger” [31].
References
1Eiden HC, Welte S: The second international conference on nutrition, as seen by a member state; in Biesalski HK, Black RE (eds): Hidden Hunger, Malnutrition an der First 1,000 Days of Life: Causes, Consequences and Solutions. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 2016, vol 115, pp 134–141.
2United Nations General Assembly: Sustainable Development Goals. A/RES/70/1 – Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly. New York, United Nations Organization, September 25, 2015.
3Rozin P: Food and eating; in Kitayama S, Cohen D (eds): Handbook of Cultural Psychology. New York, Guilford, 2007, pp 416–391.
4Shepherd R: Social determinants of food choice. Proc Nutr Soc 1999;58:812–807.
5Zovko E: Verflixtes Schlaraffenland: Wie Essen und Psyche sich beeinflussen – Tagungsband zum 16. aid-Forum 2014. https://shop.aid.de/3443/Verflixtes-Schlaraffenland-Wie-Essen-und-Psyche-sich-beeinflussen-Tagungsband-zum-16.-aid-Forum (accessed June 20, 2017).
6Rütten A, et al: National Recommendations for Physical Activity and Physical Activity Promotion, 2016. https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-fau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/7827 (accessed June 20, 2017).
7Lampert T, Mensink GBM, Hölling H, et al: Der Kinder- und Gesundheitsurvey des Robert Koch-Instituts als Grundlage für Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung; in Hackauf H, Jungbauer-Gans M (Hg): Gesundheitsprävention bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Gesundheitliche Ungleichheit, Gesundheitsverhalten und Evaluation von Präventionsmassnahmen. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden, 2008, pp 15–39.
8Story M, Kaphingst KM, Robinson-O’Brien R, Glanz K: Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches. Annu Rev Public Health 2008;29:272–253.
9DGE-Section Nutrition Education: Bartsch S, Büning-Fesel M, Cremer M, Heindl I, Lambeck A, Lührmann P, Oepping A, Rademacher C, Schulz-Greve S: Ernährungsbildung – Standort und Perspektiven. Ernährungs Umschau, 02, M84-M95, 2013 (accessed July 14, 2017).
10Herman DR, Taylor Baer M, Adams E, Cunningham-Sabo L, Duran N, Johnson DB, Yakes E: Life course perspective: evidence for the role of nutrition. Matern Child Health J 2014;18:461–450.
11Galbraith-Emami S, Lobstein T: The impact of initiatives to limit the advertising of food and beverage products to children: a systemic review. Obes Rev 2013;14:974–960.
12Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture: Kennzeichnung von Lebensmitteln. http://www.bmel.de/DE/Ernaehrung/Kennzeichnung/kennzeichnung_node.html2016·2016 (accessed July 14, 2017).
13Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture: Nationale Strategie zur Reduktion von Zucker, Fetten und Salz in Fertigprodukten. 2017. http://www.bmel.de/DE/Ernaehrung/_Texte/Reformulierung_Hintergrund.html (accessed June 20, 2017).
14German Nutrition Society eV: 13. Ernährungsbericht. German Nutrition Society e.V. (Hrsg). Bonn, German Nutrition Society eV, 2016.
15Lobstein T, Brinsden H: Symposium report: the prevention of obesity and NCDs: challenges and opportunities for governments. Obes Rev 2014;15(8):630–639.
16Wang
