Living with the New Nordic Diet
Abstract
Purpose
Based on New Nordic Cuisine and Nordic dietary recommendations, the research centre OPUS has developed a healthy, sustainable and tasty New Nordic Diet (NND) with the goal of improving public health in Denmark. In order to determine the health potential of the NND, a six-month, controlled dietary intervention trial was conducted, in which participants procured NND foods at a specially designed intervention supermarket and prepared and consumed NND meals in their homes. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative sociological study was conducted among intervention participants in order to explore whether and how they appropriated this diet into their everyday food practices.
Findings
Participants appropriated the NND by becoming co-producers of this diet, tailoring it to accord with individual preferences and the demands of everyday life. Findings indicate that while the taste of the NND is likely to appeal to wider groups of consumers, the tasks of food procurement and preparation are likely to constitute barriers to its adoption. The strictly controlled intervention setting enabled participants to learn how to comply with dietary composition despite their deviations from given menu-plans and recipes. The extent to which such compliance would be achieved outside this context by other consumers is questioned. Further studies are needed to determine whether more widespread consumption of the NND would in practice comply with Nordic dietary recommendations.
Originality/value
The study provides insights relevant to health agencies, public health researchers and food companies regarding consumer appropriation of a dietary system, the health benefits of which are dependent upon dietary compliance.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the intervention project manager, Research Fellow Sanne Kellebjerg Poulsen as well as the intervention work package leader, Associate Professor Thomas Meinert Larsen for their valuable contribution to the study. Finally, and most significantly, the authors would like to thank the informants for their participation in this study.Role of the funding source: The OPUS research project is funded by the Nordea Foundation. The paper manuscript has been approved by the OPUS’ Management Team prior to its submission.For correspondence regarding OPUS: Eva Gleje, Administrative Manager, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 30, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark (e-mail: eg@life.ku.dk).
Citation
Micheelsen, A., Holm, L. and O’Doherty Jensen, K. (2014), "Living with the New Nordic Diet", British Food Journal, Vol. 116 No. 8, pp. 1247-1258. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-03-2013-0058
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited