The figures are drawn from the authoritative National Food Consumption Survey produced by Sciensano, the national public health institute and research center of Belgium. The last edition of the survey was published a year ago, but the public debate has remained remarkably muted. This is difficult to understand. Figures of this magnitude warrant serious debate.
Not an abstract problem
Let us begin with the fundamentals: A healthy and varied diet is the first line of defense for our health. There is no dispute about this. Yet this foundation is particularly fragile in our country. The figures are clear: Our dietary habits fall short on a large scale.
The consequence? A large majority of Belgians are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For folate, this concerns 70% of the population; for calcium, 67%; for riboflavin, 63%; and for vitamin C, 61%. Then there is vitamin D: 95% do not meet the recommended intake of 15 µg per day.
Moreover, the risks are not evenly distributed. Women, adolescents and people with lower levels of education are particularly vulnerable. Among adolescents, 86% have an insufficient calcium intake; among adolescent girls, 43% have an intake below their iron requirement.
Those who read these merely as percentages overlook what is truly at stake. These figures affect people in their daily lives. At the same time, at the societal level, they contribute to healthcare costs that are already exceptionally high.
Not a snapshot, but a worsening and general trend
Anyone hoping that this is merely a snapshot will be disappointed. Compared with the 2014–2015 survey, the average intake of vitamin C, vitamin A, riboflavin and calcium, among others, has declined further. The trend is not moving in the right direction. Quite the contrary.
Belgium is not alone in this regard. In the Netherlands and France, we also observe inadequate intakes of the same nutrients, largely among the same groups. This is therefore not a Belgian anomaly but a structural pattern across Western Europe. That does not make the problem any less serious. It only makes the need for a serious debate more urgent.
Healthy nutrition first. But with an open mind.
How can we reverse this trend? One principle is beyond question for me: Healthy nutrition must always come first. Every effort to help Belgians adopt healthier diets deserves support. A food supplement is not a substitute for a healthy and varied diet. Full stop.
But this must not become an excuse for failing to confront the figures. The reality is what it is, and we must act on it. Where diets fall short, targeted food supplementation, where necessary and based on professional advice, can play an important complementary role, for example in relation to vitamin D and folic acid.
This is therefore my appeal: Let us not file these figures away once again. Let us continue the debate among scientists, policymakers, healthcare professionals and the sector, with an open mind but based solely on the facts and with one shared objective: to strengthen the health of our citizens.
The figures are clear. The task now is to take them seriously.
Valerie Vercammen is managing director of be-sup, the official trade association representing the food supplement industry in Belgium.
