The food authority Fødevarestyrelsen has revealed its latest dietary recommendations aimed to get Danes to embrace a more healthy diet.

The ten recommendations include a diet of more fish and less salt and the food officials have for the first time put a number on the amount of red meat that people should consume.

The food minister, Karen Hækkerup (Socialdemokraterne), presented the new dietary recommendations today at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby.

“For the everyday consumer, dietary advice shouldn’t be heavy and intricate science, but rather useful guidelines that can be followed at home in the kitchen,” Hækkerup said in a ministry press release.

Live longer, healthier lives
Fødevarestyrelsen’s recommendations are based on scientific backing from the leading health, diet and nutrition researchers in Denmark, as well as Scandinavian and international research. The scientific foundation has been laid by the National Food Institute at DTU.

“The new dietary advice will attempt to make the research more accessible to consumers,” Hækkerup said. "Using the recommendations, the consumer gets a useful guide to how one can live a longer and healthier life, without requiring a master chef or a nutrition expert.”

Bacon out, fruit and fish in
Some of the recommendations advise eating less sugar, salt and saturated fats, while others encourage the consumption of fruit and vegetables, fish, whole grains and water. Lean meats and low-fat dairy products are also advocated.

Fødevarestyrelsen also recommended that people should eat a maximum of half a kilo of prepared meat a week.

The government's dietary advice is the first of its kind since 2006.