New global research has found that national dietary guidelines are under-serving the health and nutrition professionals meant to act on them — with plant-based foods, affordability and transparency named as the biggest gaps. For food and drink brands, the findings arrive alongside England’s newly updated School Food Standards, sharpening the commercial case for plant-forward, budget-conscious product ranges built for public-sector and everyday eating.

A trust gap in nutrition advice

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Developments in Nutrition and led by researchers from ProVeg International and the University of Göttingen, examined how health and nutrition professionals use — and struggle with — their national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs). More than 100 countries have developed FBDGs, together covering around 90% of the global population.

Despite that reach, the research found a credibility problem: 80.5% of surveyed professionals use their national guidelines in practice, yet 57.6% rated them as only “somewhat” or “slightly” helpful for promoting healthy and sustainable food choices.

Plant-based foods left off the plate

Respondents pointed to specific gaps in what guidelines recommend. Pulses were the most commonly cited under-representation, flagged by 62.7% of professionals, followed by plant-based milk alternatives (47.5%) and nuts and seeds (42.4%).

Transparency around how guidelines are developed also mattered strongly to acceptance, with 99.1% of professionals rating it important. Professionals were clear, too, that responsibility for healthy eating doesn’t rest with individuals alone: almost two-thirds (65.3%) called for measures such as tax relief or subsidies to make healthy, sustainable food more affordable, alongside a bigger role for retailers, restaurants, caterers and the food industry in making healthier choices easier.

Anna-Lena Klapp, head of research at ProVeg International and the study’s lead author, said the professionals responsible for implementing dietary advice are “calling for guidelines that better reflect plant-based foods, affordability, cultural diversity, and the realities of people’s everyday lives,” adding that supportive food environments are needed to put guidance into action.

School standards signal the direction of travel

The findings land the same week England announced updated School Food Standards, which strengthen requirements around fruit and vegetables, fibre-rich foods, pulses and plant-based alternatives. ProVeg UK described the reforms as a positive step that creates an opportunity to put nutrition guidance into practice for children daily, while underlining that wider FBDGs still need to keep pace with the latest nutritional evidence.

Sophia Millar, co-executive director at ProVeg UK, pointed to the organisation’s work with NHS trusts through the Plants First Healthcare coalition and with schools via its School Plates programme as evidence of the gap between national standards and “the realities of busy catering operations.” She said dietary guidance “must be matched by practical support that enables public-sector caterers to turn that ambition into meals that are plant-rich, nutritious, affordable and appealing.”

Convergence

For food and drink manufacturers and foodservice suppliers, the research points to where demand and policy are converging. Pulses, plant-based dairy alternatives, and nuts and seeds are the categories professionals most want to see better supported — a signal for product development and range planning, particularly for anyone supplying institutional catering.

Affordability is the other clear signal. With two-thirds of professionals calling for fiscal measures to make healthy food cheaper, and cost repeatedly framed as a barrier alongside kitchen capacity and ingredient familiarity, brands competing on price and format simplicity — not just nutritional credentials — are better placed to meet where public-sector demand is heading.

England’s school food reforms give that shift a concrete, near-term test case: suppliers who can meet school catering budgets and kitchen constraints with compliant, plant-rich products have a defined market opening. The broader message from the research, though, is that policy alone won’t close the gap — transparency in formulation and sourcing, and practical support for caterers, will matter as much as the ingredients on the label.

Study: Klapp A-L, Simorangkir JP, Gallani V, Braune DAB, Risius A. From Policy to Practice: A Global Analysis to Identify Factors That Influence the Implementation of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines by Health and Nutrition Professionals. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2026.