VTT's Eeva Rantala presented the results of a national project that examined the current status of the food environment of Finnish children and adolescents and provided policy recommendations for developing a food environment supportive of wellbeing and health

1. Healthy food environment for Finnish children:
mapping the current state and framing policy
recommendations to improve it
Eeva Rantala, Anton Sigfrids, Johanna Leväsluoto,
Marja Harjumaa, Saara Vanhatalo
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo, Finland
Contact: eeva.rantala@vtt.fi; @EeRantala
poster ID205

2. Rantala et al. NNC 2020, poster ID205
 Food environment: physical, economic, policy, and
sociocultural surroundings, opportunities, and conditions
that influence people’s food and beverage choices and
nutritional status*.
 Aim of this work:
• to explore the current state of the food environment of
children and adolescents in Finland, including measures
various administrative sectors have taken to enhance it.
• to formulate policy recommendations for developing the
food environment in healthier direction.
Today’s food environment does not protect children
from energy-dense foods of poor nutritional quality or messages encouraging the
consumption of such foods; nor does it support health-promoting choices like it could
─and should.
*Swinburn et al. Obesity reviews 2013;14(S1):24–37. doi: 10.1111/obr.12073

3. Rantala et al. NNC 2020, poster ID205
Key results
 Extensive, evidence-based recommendations,
tools, and operating models exist for numerous
actors, but implementation remains a challenge
 Regulatory potential for steering prices,
marketing, and procurement is not fully employed.
 We lack up-to-date and inclusive data on the
dietary habits, nutrient intake, and relationship to
food of the minors in Finland.
 To reduce health inequality, we need actions that
reach the entire population and the effectiveness
of which is less dependent on individual
knowledge, skills, and active reflection.
We have necessary information and tools;
we now need action to put them into practice
Course of the study

4. Policy recommendations to achieve the envisioned food environment
Rantala et al. NNC 2020, poster ID205
Policy brief in English:
Rantala et al. Future savings
are accomplished
today─focus on food
environment of children and
adolescents. Publications of
the Government’s analysis,
assessment and research
activities, Policy Brief 9/2019.
https://tietokayttoon.fi/julkaisu
?pubid=35601
Full report in Finnish:
Rantala et al. Suomalaisten
lasten ja nuorten ruoka-
ympäristö ja toimenpide-
ehdotukset sen kehittämiseen
terveyttä edistäväksi [Healthy
food environment for Finnish
children and adolescents: the
current state and policy
recommendations for
improving it]. Publications of
the Government ́s analysis,
assessment and research
activities 2020;19.
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-
952-287-929-5
Funding:
This presentation arises from
the project From a world of
temptations to a healthy food
environment for children─
driven by inter-administrative
approaches (TERRA) that was
funded by the Prime Minister's
Office as part of the
implementation of the 2019
Government plan for analysis,
assessment and research.