Table 1 Actions for Strategic area 1 (create healthier food environments)

Monitoring the nutritional composition of foods

To monitor the salt content in the following food categories: bread and breakfast cereals, meat and meat products (minced meat, meat product), ready-to-eat meals, fried potatoes and other snacks, sauces, ready-to-eat soups, cheeses, canned fish and restaurant meals (soup and main dish) [29, 31]

To monitor the sugar content in the following food categories: non-alcoholic beverages, dairy products, cookies and sweet desserts, pastries, breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat meals, sauces, ice cream and canned fruit [30, 31]

To monitor the trans fatty acids content in the following food categories: biscuits, pastries, fried potatoes, breakfast cereals, chocolate spreads and margarine [31, 44]

Food products reformulation

To promote the adequacy of nutrient profiles for certain categories of foods, particularly for salt, sugar and trans fatty acids content:

1.1 – For food products, it is intended to achieve the values set out in Regulation (European Commission) no. 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 20^th, 2006, on nutrition and health claims made on foods, which defines foods with a low salt content as not containing more than 0.3 g of salt per 100 g or 100 mL;

1.2 – For soup and main dishes it is defined that the amount of salt should be lower than the reference value of 0.2 g of salt per 100 g of food. This reference value agrees with that defined in the document “Strategy for reducing the salt intake in the Portuguese population by modifying the availability of the food availability”, approved by the inter-ministerial working group to propose a set of measures for the reduction the salt consumption by the Portuguese population;

1.3 - For food products, it is intended to achieve the values set out in Regulation (European Commission) no. 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 20^th, 2006, on nutrition and health claims made on foods, which defines a food with a low sugar content as not containing more than 5 g of sugar per 100 g for solid foods or 2.5 g of sugar per 100 mL for liquids [29,30,31, 59];

1.4 – For industrial fats sold for the manufacture of foods, as well as in the final product, a trans fatty acid content of not higher than 2 g per 100 g must be established [34]

To propose goals to be achieved in the reformulation of categories of food described above along with sector entities, based on the WHO Recommendations [60, 61] and as a general goal:

1.1 – To make the per capita salt intake close to 5 g/day by 2020;

1.2 – To make the daily sugar intake close to 50 g/day and a maximum of 25 g/day for minors by 2020;

1.3 - To make the trans fatty acid intake close to zero by 2020

Change food availability in different public settings

To extend Dispatch no. 7514-A/2016, published in Diário da República, 2nd series, no. 108, of 6th June 2016, to all services and organisms of the direct and indirect administration of the State about new contracts regarding vending machines services

To propose the existence of free water dispensers or distribution of water in the services and organisms of the direct and indirect administration of the State and in other services under public management and to promote their consumption [62, 63]

To propose the obligatory availability of water, fruit and vegetables, preferentially respecting criteria of seasonal availability and proximity, at public events organised by the services and organisms of the direct and indirect administration of the State

To extend the existing guidelines for the provision of food in schools from the Ministry of Education, to all levels of education, including higher education

To establish guidelines for the supply of food at social services institutions, particularly those who support the elderly population

To encourage public institutions to purchase food products that use short distribution channels, integrated or organic production modes. To this end, it is proposed to produce a guide containing clear indications about the award criteria and the factors and sub-factors associated. This guide should bring the producer and the consumer closer, namely in the food services supervised by services and organisms of the direct and indirect administration of the State

To extend the Directorate-General of Education (DGE) school canteen guidelines regarding the use of iodised salt to other cafeterias/canteens beside those in schools

To encourage fruit and vegetable intake at schools, increasing the number of beneficiaries of the school distribution scheme, which includes the current fruit and vegetable distribution schemes and the school milk distribution scheme

Change food availability at food industry and catering sector

To encourage the consumption of food categories directly related to the prevention of chronic disease, namely fresh fruit and vegetables, across the population

To encourage the removal of salt shakers from tables in collective catering establishments, proposing that salt shakers must be dispensed only by explicit request of the costumer

To encourage and extend the scoop of good practice related with DGE school cafeteria guidelines in the context of new calls for food procurement for school meals

To encourage agro-food companies to reduce the size of pre-packaged food and drinks

To encourage catering services to provide adapted menus for the most prevalent diseases

To extend policies to limit the volume and availability of individual sugar packages to all economic agents responsible for the refining and distribution of sugar

To encourage catering services to avoid the availability of sugar beverages in the ‘free refill’ mode