# Cost-Effectiveness of a New Nordic Diet as a Strategy for Health Promotion

## TL;DR

The New Nordic Diet is a healthy and sustainable eating plan that could improve public health and reduce environmental impact, though it is more expensive.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of promoting the New Nordic Diet for health and environmental benefits.

## Key findings

- Adopting the New Nordic Diet could save over 18,000 disability-adjusted life years annually in Denmark.
- The diet reduces environmental loads from food consumption by 15%–25%.
- The cost-effectiveness ratio is €73,000–94,000 per DALY saved, but improves if organic and Nordic-origin product emphasis is reduced.

## Abstract

Inappropriate diets constitute an important health risk and an increasing environmental burden. Healthy regional diets may contribute to meeting this dual challenge. A palatable, healthy and sustainable New Nordic diet (NND) based on organic products from the Nordic region has been developed. This study assesses whether a large-scale introduction of NND is a cost-effective health promotion strategy by combining an economic model for estimating the utility-maximizing composition of NND, a life cycle assessment model to assess environmental effects of the dietary change, and a health impact model to assess impacts on the disease burden. Consumer expenditure for food and beverages in the NND is about 16% higher than currently, with the largest relative difference in low-income households. Environmental loads from food consumption are 15%–25% lower, and more than 18,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALY) will be saved per year in Denmark. NND exhibits a cost-effectiveness ratio of about €73,000–94,000 per DALY saved. This cost-effectiveness improves considerably, if the NND’s emphasis on organic and Nordic-origin products is relaxed.