Developing consistent terminology to describe portion size

摘要

Background: In 2015, the Australian Government established the Healthy Food Partnership (Partnership) to provide a mechanism for government, public health and the food industry to cooperatively tackle obesity, encourage healthy eating and empower food manufacturers to make positive changes. The scope of work within the Partnership comprises policy areas that consider portion size, food reformulation, and the food environment. Aim: To investigate terms used to describe the size of food and beverages; and develop recommendations about key terms that should be adopted across government, public health, industry, academia and health professions in order to build a common and consistent language. Methods: Through a review of the scientific literature, and government and policy documents, it was identified that there was duplication and confusion in the terminology used to describe food and beverage sizes. Initial Stakeholder consultations on the agreed terms were held at the Dietitians Association of Australia Conference in 2017, with wider public consultation conducted online. Results: A fact sheet was developed to communicate the agreed terminology to governments, food manufacturers, food service businesses and health professionals. Following uptake of the terminology, a publication that targets the consumer will be developed to: communicate information about the changes in language that they will see into the future, explain/define the terms, provide information on what the terms mean for them in a practical sense. Conclusions: The implementation of consistent terminology will remove confusion around the meaning of the terms portion, serving and serve.