National campaign aims to capture details of dietary habits, to inform Government policy and guidance. Thousands of children and young people across Scotland are to be surveyed on their eating and drinking habits to inform actions to improve health across the nation.The Dietary Intake in Scotland’s Children (DISH) survey is being carried out by the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems and market researchers Taylor McKenzie on behalf of Food Standards Scotland (FSS).Information gathered from the survey will be used to support improvement of children’s health in Scotland. It will help to shape policy and advice on diet and to achieve the Scottish Government’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030.Online participation We want to include lots of different families across the whole of Scotland, so we are encouraging people to look out for a purple envelope and take part in the survey.The online survey will not take too long to complete and will provide us with helpful information to support the Scottish Government’s ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030. Professor Lindsay Jaacks Project Lead, Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems The survey will be posted to the homes of around 17,000 randomly selected children and young people between the ages of two and 15.Those invited to take part will receive a purple envelope asking them to share information, via an online questionnaire, on what they eat and drink.Parents or carers of younger children will be asked to complete the survey on their behalf.Findings from the survey will be published later this year. This important piece of work will be the first time in over a decade that we have collected information on what children and young people eat and drink in Scotland. In that time there has been a wave of changes to where we eat, and what is on offer.What surrounds us, shapes us, and in Scotland we are surrounded by less healthy food and drink options. This makes it challenging for families in Scotland to eat well. Dr Fiona Comrie Senior Public Health Nutrition Adviser at Food Standards Scotland Improving our children’s health by ensuring everyone can get affordable, healthy food has never been more important.When where we live is awash with unhealthy food, and healthy options are out of reach, it makes it harder to eat well; this can lead to poorer health. This survey will help Food Standards Scotland and others identify where the issues are that need to be addressed to improve our children’s health. Professor Linda Bauld Chief Social Policy Advisor to the Scottish Government Related linksDietary Intake in Scotland’s Children (DISH)Food Standards Scotland Publication date 02 Sep, 2024
