The food industry has five important roles in facilitating needed dietary and behavioural changes. Two of these roles are direct ones. Industry can increase the availability of a wide variety of basic commodities and new foods that help consumers meet dietary recommendations. It is also responsible for developing and formulating appealing, healthy and effective food products that decrease risks of chronic degenerative disease. Industry also plays an indirect role in facilitating dietary change by motivating consumers to select and prepare foods that will result in healthy dietary patterns. It can also participate in coalitions to facilitate other behaviours that decrease risks. Finally, it can collaborate actively in applied and fundamental research to further our understanding of the associations between food and health.
