Public health nutrition in the UK

A poor diet is the leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality in England. Nutritional surveillance shows that, on average, people eat too little fruit and vegetables, fibre and oily fish, and too many foods and drinks high in calories, sugar and saturated fat. Although micronutrient deficiencies are rare at the population level, some subgroups may require nutritional supplements. Public health policy seeks to intervene to close the gap between dietary intake and dietary recommendations for good health.