Who are the nutrition recommendations intended for?
The nutrition recommendations are designed to be used in healthcare, meal planning for food services, food product development, communication, as well as nutrition education and guidance. The guidelines are not legally binding.
Nutrition recommendations for the entire population
The aim of the National Nutrition Recommendations (2024) is to promote public health, address nutrition and health-related challenges, and reduce harmful environmental impacts caused by food consumption and production.
The recommendations have been published in a document that includes energy and nutrient intake guidelines, recommended food choices, and instructions for implementing and applying the recommendations.
The National Nutrition Recommendations are based on the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations published in summer 2023. These were developed by reviewing the latest research evidence on the relationship between diet and health, as well as the environmental impacts of food production and consumption. The recommendations also take into account current data on the dietary habits and nutrient intake of Finnish adults and children.
The recommendations provide a foundation for nutrition counselling, food education, and communication aimed at influencing eating habits and nutrient intake. The recommended plant-based diets combine variety, balance, enjoyment, and moderation.
Sustainable health from food - national nutrition recommendations 2024 (Julkari)
Food Recommendations for Families with Children
The publication 'Eating Together – Food Recommendations for Families with Children' includes national guidelines for the diets of children, families with children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The recommendations describe the principles of a health-promoting, varied diet and ways to implement it in families with children. They emphasise food education, supporting the child in learning to eat, and the joy of eating. The latest research on introducing solid foods and transitioning from breastfeeding to the family diet is included.
The recommendations highlight diversity, variety, and moderation in food, as well as multiculturalism and alternative eating patterns. They include guidelines for vegan diets, food for active young people, and certain special situations.
The recommendations cover family eating from planning pregnancy to early adulthood. This second revised edition includes updated instructions on vitamin D supplementation for infants under one year, safe use of foods, and recommendations for plant-based drinks and protein sources used similarly to cow's milk.
The recommendations serve as a source of information for all professional groups whose work involves nutrition issues concerning children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and families with children.
Eating together - food recommendations for families with children (Julkari)
Early Childhood Education and Care Meal Recommendations
The early childhood education and care meal recommendation provides general guidelines for offering health-promoting food and implementing food education in early childhood settings.
Meals and food education are pedagogical activities in early childhood education and form part of holistic wellbeing learning. This recommendation, based on the national core curriculum for early childhood education, describes good practices and offers tips for implementing food education as well as for monitoring and evaluation.
Taste preferences and eating habits develop early and influence the future. Tasty, colourful, health-promoting and varied food, served at the right time, brings children both joy and health. When children and adults eat together, children learn an important model of nutritionally adequate eating and considerate table manners.
The recommendation issued by the National Nutrition Council (VRN) is intended for municipalities and organisers of early childhood education, early childhood education units, providers of children’s food services, families, and students in the field. Health-promoting food and a positive mealtime experience are every child’s right.
Health and joy from food - meal recommendations for early childhood education and care (Julkari)
School Meal Recommendations
The school meal recommendation provides guidance on organising school meals, collaboration within the school and with families, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the activities.
Recommendations are given for menus, meals and nutrient content regarding the provision and nutritional quality of school lunches and snacks.
The recommendation emphasises unhurried shared meals and the educational role of mealtimes. Key aspects include strengthening pupils’ participation, offering lunches and snacks that promote health and sustainable development, considering the entire dining environment, and fostering table manners. The aim is to enhance pupils’ food competence and develop their understanding of food.
School meals form a multidisciplinary learning entity with natural links to several subjects. This recommendation, published by the National Nutrition Council (VRN), is intended for organisers of education and related activities, schools, those responsible for school catering and student welfare, as well as parents, guardians and pupils themselves. Let’s eat and learn together – bringing joy to school meals!
Eating and learning together - recommendations for school meals (Julkari)
Meal Recommendations for Vocational Institutions and Upper Secondary Schools
Student Catering Benefiting Health and Communities is the first joint publication by the National Nutrition Council, Finnish National Agency for Education, and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare of its kind, providing food recommendations specifically for vocational institutions and general upper secondary schools. The publication includes the regulatory framework for organising student catering and nutritional recommendations. The publication also gives tips and ideas for product and service design, cooperation practices, communications, and the monitoring and evaluation of operations.
The general principles adhered to in the food recommendations are the promotion of sustainable lifestyles, social inclusion, non-discrimination and health equality. The recommendations promote regular meals as an integral part of study and work, with social eating in a welcoming environment as a key factor maintaining productivity in studies and at work and the overall wellbeing of the entire school community. School catering services should be based on providing tasty, nutritious and healthy meals while upholding the goals of sustainable development and climate change prevention. Social eating in educational institutions is a central element of a good, sustainable daily life.
The recommendations are aimed at education providers and their support organisations, educational institutions, teachers, student welfare services, school catering services, students and their families. They can also be used for the applicable parts as learning material in health education and home economics in upper secondary schools, welfare planning in vocational institutions, and in the vocational and further training in hospitality and catering and social and healthcare.
Meal Recommendations for Higher Education Students
Wellbeing and Study Ability to Study from Food – The meal recommendation for higher education students is published by the National Nutrition Council (VRN) and Kela. It concerns the organisation of meals for higher education students and is based on nutritional and regulatory principles.
The aim of the recommendation is to ensure that students receive tasty, varied and nutritionally adequate meals that meet their needs. Its purpose is to promote students’ wellbeing and study ability and to serve as a source of information for both students and food service providers.
Meal Recommendations for Older Adults
Vitality in later years: food recommendation for older adults is a new national quality guideline designed to promote and support good nutrition among older people and to steer the organisation of high-quality food services based on their needs.
The recommendation describes a health-promoting diet suitable for all older adults as a foundation for their own food choices. Eating in line with the recommendation helps maintain good nutritional status and thereby supports health, physical and mental functioning, social wellbeing and quality of life.
It includes instructions for assessing nutritional status, monitoring it, and implementing individualised nutritional care. In addition, it explains the specific characteristics of older adults’ nutrition and presents good practices for service development.
Quality criteria and monitoring indicators are intended for self-monitoring and official supervision, as well as for municipal, regional and national-level monitoring and impact assessment. Produced by the National Nutrition Council and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the recommendation is aimed at decision-makers and providers of care, nursing and food services for older adults, those responsible for procurement, staff in home care and round-the-clock care, as well as older people themselves and family carers. It is also suitable as a textbook for students in the field.
Vitality in later years: food recommendation for older adults (Julkari)
Vitality in later years: food recommendation for older adults
Nutrition care is an essential part of supporting recovery from illness and rehabilitation. It is a key treatment for many diseases and, in some cases, the only treatment.
Good nutritional care reduces the need for other medical interventions and enhances the effectiveness and impact of overall treatment. It can also reduce the need for medication and shorten the duration of specialised care.
The aim of this recommendation on patient nutrition care and hospital meals is to describe the nutrition care process as a seamless whole, integrating food services and facility management into the care pathway. The publication includes both information and guidance, as well as tools for assessment and monitoring to support the development and implementation of nutrition care in the new service system.
The updated recommendation is based on international guidelines, research in clinical nutrition and medicine, and best practices.
The recommendation is intended for all those who guide, plan and participate in patient nutrition care and the provision of food services in public and private social and healthcare settings. It can serve as a basis for developing more detailed organisational nutrition care protocols and food service descriptions. The recommendation is also suitable as a textbook. It has been produced by the National Nutrition Council and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in collaboration with a broad expert group on nutrition care.
Guidelines for nutritional care (Julkari)