FAO DietSolve: A Diet Optimization Tool for Low- and Middle-Income Countries Developing Dietary Guidelines

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Food Systems Analysis

Background:

• Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges in developing practical dietary guidelines due to limited data and resources.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed FAO DietSolve to address this gap.
• FAO DietSolve offers a systematic, evidence-based approach for guideline development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the FAO DietSolve methodology.
• To demonstrate its application through a hypothetical example.
• To highlight its utility in supporting dietary guideline development in LMICs.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes mathematical optimization via Microsoft Excel's Solver add-in.
• Combines food groups to meet nutritional and acceptability constraints.
• Integrates sustainability criteria like cost, cultural acceptability, and environmental impact.

Main Results:

• Optimized dietary patterns generated by FAO DietSolve have been used in eight LMICs.
• The tool supports the creation of tailored food selection guides and food graphics.
• It enables the development of culturally appropriate and sustainable dietary patterns.

Conclusions:

• FAO DietSolve provides a practical, data-driven method for LMICs to develop comprehensive dietary guidelines.
• The tool facilitates the integration of multiple dimensions of diets and food systems.
• It aligns with FAO's food systems-based dietary guidelines methodology.