Belgium

INFORMAS in Belgium

 

Dr Stefanie Vandevijvere

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

School of Population Health

The University of Auckland

Email: Stefanie Vandevijvere

 

Dr Celia Burgaz

Researcher

Sciensano

Federal Institute of Public Health, Belgium

Email: Celia Burgaz

Module Status (as of March 2025)
Public Sector (Food EPI)

Publication of a list of 44 good practice policies for governments to achieve healthy diets from sustainable food systems.

Evidence review and international expert consultation to indetify government policies with the potential to simultaneously address undernutrition, obesity and environmental sustainability

Looking at sustainability indicators to be included in Food-EPI

A policy mapping was conducted in five African countries (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Togo, and Uganda) and one city in each to identify barriers and facilitators for developing and implementing public policies aimed at creating healthy and environmentally sustainable food systems. Research article available.
Private Sector

2018 – Ongoing: Implementation of the BIA-Obesity – Business Impact Assessment on Obesity and Population Level Nutrition. Reports available.

2022: Completed an assessment of Belgian food companies’ nutrition-related commitments, focusing on transparency, specificity, and comprehensiveness.  Research article available.

2022: Completed an assessment of the nutrition-related commitments of major food companies in Europe. Research article available.

2022: Completed an assessment of the transparency, specificity, and comprehensiveness of nutrition-related commitments and practices of major French food companies, including quick-service restaurants and supermarkets. Research article available.
Food Composition Data collection conducted in 2018. Due to challenges of data collection and lack of funding, for 2019, 2020 data collected from Discounters. For large supermarkets, web scraping will be used for data collection.
Food Marketing

2021: Analysed food promotions in Belgian supermarket circulars, looking at the proportion of healthier and less healthy food promotions. Research article available.

2023: Evaluated the availability, prominence, and promotion of different foods in supermarkets across Flanders. Research article available.
Food Prices

2021: Estimated the relative cost of meeting healthy diet guidelines in Belgium (research article available) and analyzed cost variations of adult diets based on their quality and identified sociodemographic factors associated with these costs (research article available).

2022: Estimated the cost variations of children’s diets based on diet quality and sociodemographic factors using data from the Belgian National Food Consumption Survey. Research article available.

2024: Modelled the cost differential between current and healthy diets according to household education level in Belgium. Research article available.
Food Retail

2022: Mapped and evaluated the evolution of food deserts and swamps in Flanders, focusing on areas with larger populations of elderly, young people, and low-income residents. Research article available.

2022: Assessed changes in food environments around schools in Flanders between 2008 and 2020, exploring associations with overweight prevalence among children and adolescents. Research article available.
  • Burgaz, C., Van Dam, I., Diouf, A., Kouakou, K. P., Mama, O. M., Kou’santa Amouzou, S., … & Vandevijvere, S. (2025). Barriers and Facilitators to the Development and Implementation of Public Policies Addressing Food Systems in Five Sub-Saharan African Countries and Five of Their Cities. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, (Articles in Press).
  • Burgaz C., Bartoletto Martins A. P., Batis C., Castronuovo L., Diouf A., Sacks G., Swinburn B., Vandevijvere S. GOOD PRACTICE GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON FOOD SYSTEMS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESS UNDERNUTRITION, OBESITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Sciensano, 2024.
  • Burgaz, C., Van Dam, I., Garton, K. et al. Which government policies to create healthy diets from sustainable food systems have the potential to simultaneously address undernutrition, obesity and environmental sustainability? Results of an evidence review and international expert consultation. (2024). https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3281805/v1
  • Burgaz, C.; Bartoletto Martins; A.P., Batis, C.; Castronuovo, L.; Diouf, A.;  Sacks, G.; Swinburn, B.; Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Good practice government policies on food systems to simultaneously sddress undernutrition, obesity and climate change. Sciensano. 
  • Burgaz, C.; Bartoletto Martins; A.P., Batis, C.; Castronuovo, L.; Diouf, A.;  Sacks, G.; Swinburn, B.; Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Good practice government policies on food systems to simultaneously sddress undernutrition, obesity and climate change. Science-Policy Brief for the Multistakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs. 
  • Dastoum, S., Ramon, L., Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Companies’ commitments and practices on population nutrition and environmental sustainability in Belgium 2023/2024 Sector summary: Packaged food and non-alcoholic beverage
    manufacturers. Feast, Sciensano. https://www.sciensano.be/sites/default/files/summary_packaged_food.pdf
  • Dastoum, S., Ramon, L., Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Companies’ commitments and practices on population nutrition and environmental sustainability in Belgium 2023/2024. Sector summary: Quick Service Restaurants. https://www.sciensano.be/sites/default/files/summary_restaurant_qsr_0.pdf
  • Dastoum, S., Ramon, L., Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Companies’ commitments and practices on population nutrition and environmental sustainability in Belgium 2023/2024. Sector summary: Supermarkets. https://www.sciensano.be/sites/default/files/summary_supermarket_0.pdf
  • Pedroni, C., Castetbon, K., Desbouys, L., & Vandevijvere, S. (2024). Modelling the cost differential between current and healthy diets according to household education level in Belgium. International journal of food sciences and nutrition, 75(8), 882–897. https://doi.org/10.1080/09637486.2024.2415126
  • Burgaz, C., Gorasso, V., Achten, W.M.J. et al. The effectiveness of food system policies to improve nutrition, nutrition-related inequalities and environmental sustainability: a scoping review. Food Sec. 15, 1313–1344 (2023).. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01385-1
  • Van Dam, I., Reimes, N., & Vandevijvere, S. (2022). Benchmarking the nutrition-related commitments and practices of major Belgian food companies. The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 19(1), 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-022-01269-1
  • Van Dam, I., Guillon, E., Robinson, E., Allais, O., Sacks, G., & Vandevijvere, S. (2022). Assessment of the Commitments and Performance of the European Food Industry to Improve Population Nutrition. International journal of public health, 67, 1604116. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604116
  • Van Dam, I., & Vandevijvere, S. (2022). Benchmarking the nutrition-related commitments and practices of major French food companies. BMC public health, 22(1), 1435. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13780-y
  • Van Dam, I., Vandevijvere, S. Benchmarking the nutrition-related commitments and practices of major French food companies. BMC Public Health 22, 1435 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13780-y
  • Vandevijvere S, Van Dam I. Food companies’ commitments and practices on food
    environments and nutrition in Belgium: A detailed assessment. Company assessments and recommendations using the Business Impact Assessment on obesity and population nutrition (BIA-Obesity). Sciensano 2021. Sciensano, Brussels, 2021. Legal Depot: D/2021/14.440/52
  • Sciensano. (2021). Naar gezonde en duurzame voedselomgevingen om voedingsgewoontes en status te verbeteren in Vlaanderen. Sciensano. Retrieved March 28, 2025, from https://www.sciensano.be/nl/projecten/naar-gezonde-en-duurzame-voedselomgevingen-om-voedingsgewoontes-en-status-te-verbeteren-vlaanderen
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Additional Publications