Norway's Health and Care Minister, Jan Christian Vestre, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the food industry’s efforts to promote healthier diets, stating that the results of a ten-year voluntary collaboration have been unacceptable. According to Vestre, if the food industry does not demonstrate improvement in health metrics, the government will need to reconsider its approach. The collaboration, initiated in 2016, aimed to reduce the intake of salt, sugar, and fat while encouraging healthier food consumption.

The recent evaluation of this effort, highlighted in a report by FHI, revealed concerning trends. The population's consumption of vegetables, fruits, berries, and fish has decreased, contrary to the aims of the initiative. At the same time, there has been no significant reduction in the intake of salt, sugar, or saturated fats, contradicting the goals set out in the original agreement. This lack of progress has led Vestre to be reluctant to sign a new agreement that mirrors the previous one.

Vestre and Norwegian authorities are emphasizing the need for a more binding commitment from the food industry moving forward. As the government reassesses its strategies for promoting healthier diets, this situation raises questions about the effectiveness of voluntary partnerships with the food industry and the potential need for stricter regulations to ensure public health objectives are met.