Alimentation

The evidence is clear: the quality of our diet has an impact on health. Consumers’ food choices are influenced by individual factors such as preferences, nutritional knowledge, and cooking skills, but also by collective or environmental determinants. For instance, the built environment affects the availability and physical accessibility of food; the economic environment—including food prices—influences purchasing decisions; and the sociocultural environment, including advertising and social norms related to food, promotes certain foods at the expense of others.

Given the significant influence of context on eating behaviors, improving the population's dietary quality requires transforming the environments in which we live to facilitate the selection of healthy foods. For example, the following strategies aim to shape this environment: reducing the cost of healthy foods and increasing the cost of foods and beverages to be limited; increasing the availability of healthy foods in various settings (e.g., schools, recreation centers, workplaces); improving the nutritional quality of available foods; regulating marketing practices; and enhancing nutritional labeling.