title: Cost-Effectiveness of a New Nordic Diet as a Strategy for Health Promotion.
abstract: Inappropriate diets constitute an important health risk and an increasing environmental burden. Healthy regional diets may contribute to meeting this dual challenge. A palatable, healthy and sustainable New Nordic diet (NND) based on organic products from the Nordic region has been developed. This study assesses whether a large-scale introduction of NND is a cost-effective health promotion strategy by combining an economic model for estimating the utility-maximizing composition of NND, a life cycle assessment model to assess environmental effects of the dietary change, and a health impact model to assess impacts on the disease burden. Consumer expenditure for food and beverages in the NND is about 16% higher than currently, with the largest relative difference in low-income households. Environmental loads from food consumption are 15%-25% lower, and more than 18,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALY) will be saved per year in Denmark. NND exhibits a cost-effectiveness ratio of about €73,000-94,000 per DALY saved. This cost-effectiveness improves considerably, if the NND's emphasis on organic and Nordic-origin products is relaxed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. jorgen@ifro.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Jørgen Dejgård
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: DTU Management Engineering, Global Decision Support Initiative, Danish Technical University, Produktionstorvet, Building 424, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark. henrsa@dtu.dk.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saxe
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. sd@ifro.ku.dk.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Denver
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004032:Diet / Q000191:economics*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: New Nordic Diet; cost-effectiveness; environmental impact; public health