A nutrition policy for Britain

The first comprehensive nutrition policy was put into action during the Second World War, 1939-1945. Basic foodstuffs were shared fairly in the light of what was known about physiological needs. The policy was highly successful and nutritional status improved. From the mid 1940s onwards, a nutrition policy, based on physiological needs, was pursued in the context of the welfare state and the National Health Service. The end of rationing in 1954 was followed by a free choice of foods in a period of affluence. The choice was evidently not always nutritionally sound, since this diet appears to be at least in part related to the increased incidence of certain diseases. In a democratic society, a nutrition policy must be one of sound education so that individuals make a wise choice of foods. Their choice creates demand and indirectly influences food production both from agricultural production and from the food industry. The education which underlies choice should be based on scientific fact and sound physiological principles rather than on fashionable hypotheses.