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Experts in nutrition gathered at the recent International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit in Mexico to discuss the Nutrient Rich Foods system, a useful tool now in development and testing that will make it easier for consumers to select nutrient-rich foods.

The tool will be able to score the nutrient richness of an individual food, beverage or meal, or meals from a whole day, and ultimately improve healthy eating habits.

Internationally, food rating systems that attempt to measure the nutritional quality and healthfulness of foods are exploding in retail and regulating environments. Nutrition labels and nutrition profiling systems are an opportunity to demonstrate dairy’s health benefits to consumers, if the science behind them is sound.

“Some nutrient profiling systems currently available may change food choices in the short-term, but in the long-term, focusing on choosing nutrient rich foods rather than focusing on avoiding certain nutrients is the smarter choice to get more nutrition from calories and build a healthier diet,” said Gregory D Miller, Executive Vice President, Research, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs at Dairy Management Inc and the National Dairy Council in the US.

Since 2004, the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Coalition has been educating health professionals and targeted consumers about the Nutrient Rich Food approach, which emphasises choosing nutrient-rich foods first from the five basic food groups.

Nutrient-rich foods, also known as nutrient-dense foods, provide a significant amount of beneficial nutrients per calorie. This means that when choosing a food or beverage, or judging how healthy a day’s diet is, it's important to consider how many beneficial nutrients it contains, such as vitamins, protein and fibre, as well as the amount of fat, sugar and sodium.

The next step for the NRF Coalition is an educational tool that utilises the algorithm to help people identify and enjoy nutrient-rich foods within and among the basic food groups. The tool is expected to be complete in 2009.

Also as part of its work, the NRF Coalition is conducting consumer research to develop messages on the health benefits of nutrient-rich foods that resonate best with consumers, so it can share these with health professionals as well as the food industry.

“Reducing consumption of nutrients to limit such things as fat and sodium may have unintended consequences for many nutrient rich foods, including some dairy foods,” said IDF Director General, Christian Robert. “Consequently, nutrition labels and nutrient profiling systems need to fairly characterise the role of nutrient-rich foods in a well-rounded, healthy diet.

“The dairy sector can help convey this message to those who give dietary guidance as well as to consumers,” he added. “Dairy can improve the quality of life for people, and we should make sure everyone is aware of it.”