Sustainability in the Qatar national dietary guidelines, among the first to incorporate sustainability principles.

OBJECTIVE: To present one of the first national dietary guidelines that incorporates food sustainability principles into its public health recommendations.

DESIGN: The paper outlines recommendations and utilizes an ecological framework of policy analysis to examine context, drivers, consequences and future suggestions in establishing and maintaining sustainability principles within the Qatar Dietary Guidelines.

SETTING: Qatar.

SUBJECTS: Population of Qatar.

RESULTS: Qatar has produced one of the first national dietary guidelines to integrate principles of food sustainability. National interest in environmental sustainability and food security, population concern over food waste (reinforced by Islamic religious law), strong authority of the Supreme Council of Health (supported by an Emirate government), a small domestic food industry and a lack of food industry influence on the guidelines have contributed to the inclusion of sustainability principles within the document.

CONCLUSIONS: Whether these principles will be embraced or rejected by the population in the long term will likely be determined by the Dietary Guidelines Task Force and the Supreme Council of Health's commitment to educating the population about the relevance and importance of these principles and establishing champions to advocate for them.