Nutrition, Sustainability and Health Promotion

The Research Group for Nutrition, Sustainability and Health Promotion develops and documents initiatives that promote healthy and sustainable eating patterns and health behaviour, and prepares scientific evidence for sustainable dietary guidelines and nutrient recommendations with a focus on preventing lifestyle-related diseases. The researchers work holistically to support a healthier and more sustainable population.

“The National Dietary and Physical Activity Survey” (DANSDA) is conducted by the group, which also works with the Nordic Monitoring System (NORMO), using standardised protocols across the Nordic region. The group also maintains the national food database FRIDA, which reflects the food supply based on chemical analyses of foods from the Danish market.

Approaches and methods

• Nutrition: maps dietary habits and health behaviour across population settings and provides knowledge for dietary guidelines that account for culture and sustainability.
• Sustainability: research on the nutritional and sociological aspects of sustainable food production, with emphasis on organic foods and environmental impacts. Development of the scientific evidence for sustainable dietary and nutrient recommendations, including models for implementation in Danish food culture, targeted at both citizens and professional kitchens.
• Health promotion: designs and evaluates initiatives that encourage healthier dietary and lifestyle choices, including randomized trials of dietary interventions, and ensures robust interpretation of data to support evidence-based change. Development of healthier foods, including plant-based alternatives. 
• Long-term datasets and data stewardship: develops and curates robust datasets to enable reuse over many years. Through the national database, FRIDA, which contains nutrient composition data for foods on the Danish market, the group provides a knowledge base used across health, research, policy and industry to support food-related decision-making.

Collaborations and impact

The group’s work provides a central foundation for research-based advice, monitoring and preparedness. This includes advising the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on the Official Dietary Guidelines in Denmark. Collaborations span research groups at DTU, national ministries and agencies, Nordic and European networks, and international working groups, ensuring that results both reflect and inform developments across sectors.