Food and nutrition : Czech case

Food and nutrition: Czech case

Structure • Nutrition policy goals • Recommended nutrition and food doses • Food consumption and food expenditures • What do Czech people eat • Food consumption factors • Nutrition policy tools

Nutrition policy goals: how to set them – and should they be set at all ? Should a democratic state at allinfluence nutrition of its citizens? Yes, at least to a certain extent, regarding: quantity  undernutrition and the level ofhunger optimum level quality positiveenergy vitamins and minerals  negative  pollution  labelling

Undernutrition and the hunger level • FAO definition Undernutrition = share of population which during the year does not in average consume sufficient amount of food to sustain body weight and to secure at least light activities

Food deficit in the world ( % of inhabitants with the given food deficit )

To be able to imagine the differences, let us look at what consumes (or can spend on food) one family in different parts of the world per week…..www.geographyalltheway.com/ib_geography/ib_

Equador $31.55 Chad 685 CFA Francs or $1.23 USA $341.98 Germany 375.39 Euros or $500.07

Poland 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Recommended doses • Every country sets its own recommended daily doses of the intake of • energy •  basic nutrients • basic food groups • These recommended doses are differentiated according to • gender • age • social groups

Let’s look at the Czech example • The document“Concept of the Czech agrar policy for the pre/accession period“includes also the following chapters : • securing of food safety • support of healthy nutrition of the population • securing of the production and distribution of healthy foodstuffs • A part of the document are also recommended food doses elaborated by the Center of Food Chain Hygiene in Brno.

These were modelled in variants according to the international “pyramid construction“ principles: • Model Bis regarded as themost suitable one , since it is the nearest to the present daily energy intake of approx. 9500 kJ , but this is relatively too high, according to nutrition experts • model A6 500 kJ (1560 kcal) per capita/day • model B9 200 kJ (2200 kcal) per capita/day • model C12 500 kJ (3000 kcal) per capita/day

The present problem of Czech population is rather dual the share of obese population is growing in all age categories (Czechs are ones of the most obese people in Europe) but also that of people suffering or near to anorexia is increasing, namely regarding women

Obesity is commonly assessed by calculating a person’s body mass index (BMI) level. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of 30 kg/m2 and above as obese.

Pyramid principle of nutrition doses

The nutrition doses are then reflected in the daily doses of the main nutrients and food groups. For example (in g) : Variant Cereals Vegetables Fruit Milk Proteins A300 300 200 512 80 B450 400 300 640 160 C600 500 400 768 240 These are the average daily doses, taking into account the gender, age and social groups, we get in total 32 x 3, i.e.96 variants

Thus, the basic nutrition goals are set. For choosing the policy tools and their application we need also to know the reality, that is the actual food consumption of the population. • How do we find out that ? • There exist3 main methods, • which are usually combined : • balance of resources and use • the household accounts statistics • selected research surveys

Plant production Animal production Fishery Initial stocks Food production Import Total food supply Export Loses Food consumption Non-food use Final stocks

Do you know, what isthe household accounts statistics ? • In the CR, it is used already since the pre-war period and the comparable time series exist for the period from 1956. • The present sample includes • 2, 895 households • ( the sample is statistically representative for the CR and is further supplemented by a special samples of families with children and low income households ) . • Households are further structured by: • social groups • net income level ( in quintils)

Sample structure in 2006

In the form of a monthly diary, there are followed ( for the period of 1 year ) : •  total incomes monetary and in kind •  total expenditures •  food expenditures •  food consumption, in that: • purchased • of own production • free food • gifts accepted and given • consumption of in-kind income • food at home/outside home • From these data, per capita food consumption is derived.

Both methods are combined and supplemented by selected choice research, because : • balance method supplies a more complex data, but does not take into account: • purchases and consumption of foreigners ( tourists and other ) in the ČR • purchases and consumption of Czech people abroad • full scope of self-supply • household statisticsincludes the above, but: • does not represent the whole population • the household sample is changing • there is the danger of subjective errors

Drinks consumption development in the CR (l per capita/year, CSO data)

What influences food consumption ? • Main factors : • food accessibility • in the market • from self-supply • prices • income

Every government utilizes tools influencing these factors because of sustaining SOCIAL STABILITY This is the well-known principle of Roman emperors “Panem et circenses“ “ Bread and games “ Do you understand it ?

What other factors influence food consumption? • social statute • farmers • workers/”blue collars” • “white collars“ • businessmen • pensioners • education • formal • informal

Habits,traditions • national traditions • religious rules • family habits and traditions • personal habits and tastes Seder plate

For example Czech traditional kitchen was originally formed for other types of people in quite different life situation....

This was not, however, very typical…

What was really eaten, vere different mashes and porridges, breads and vegetables

The most famous cookbook writer in Bohemia was Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová 31.1. 1786 - 5.4. 1845 She is often represented as a symbol of unhealthy traditional Czech cooking. “ Put in a dozen of eggs .… “ Is it really true?

And are our eating habits changing in time ? Yes and no. A recent research has shown, that we really prefer morevegetables and fruit, that we eat more poultry than we used to, but... • ... our favorite meals still are • roast beef in sour cream sauce with dumplings • roast pork with cabbage and dumplings • fried “Wienese” pork steak

Typical Czech Christmas menu(on December 24)

We are very fond of sweetsand cakes

…and traditionally also of canapés and mini-canapés(even if the younger generation prefers hamburgers)

And if you ask in a Prague restaurant for “typical Czech meal“ roasted duck roasted pork knee goulash “svickova“ “buchty“ “utopenci“ (“drowned sausage“

As a matter of fact, I have never cooked most of that Our yesterday menu was chicken and vegetable tajine with cous-cous, green salad and strawberry tiramisu – a not very typical Czech meal

And what is new in our nutrition? • globalisation •  “fast food” •  pizza • Chinese food

And what is new in our nutrition? • aggresive food advertisements namely aimed at children and youth the“violet cow“case 

9 years, 3rd class

On the other hand we also have much better access to the quality food, including organic food

It is connected to education, but also a matter of fashion and advertisements. Their consumption can be connected to a certain philosophy or religion (i.e. Hare Krishna etc.) Why is the percentage of the sale and consumption of the “healthy food” products still relatively low ? BIO-PRODUCTS

Our annual visit at the Hare Krishna organic farm

Bio-food products logo

Food and nutrition : Czech case