Table 2.

Selected characteristics of current dietary guidelines in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean

	Cuba	Puerto Rico	Dominican Republic
Date released	2009	2013	2009
Length (pages)	61 pp.	39 pp.	52 pp.
Main agency	INHA	CAN-PR	SESPAS
No. of agencies involved	23	7	38
Main focus	Overnutrition	Overnutrition	Over-/undernutrition
Stated purpose	Healthy eating promotion	Health promotion	Food security and poverty reduction emphasis
Target audience	Healthy population, >2 years	Healthy population, >2 years	General population
Illustration (Fig. 1)	‘The Healthy Eating Table’	‘My Plate for a Healthy Puerto Rico’	‘The Pestle of Nourishment and Nutrition’
No. of KR	9	7	10
Food groups	Seven groups: ∙Cereals and starches ∙Vegetables ∙Fruits ∙Milk, yoghurt and cheese ∙Meats, poultry, fish, eggs and beans ∙Fats and its sources ∙Sugar	Six groups + water: ∙Cereals and starches ∙Vegetables and grains* ∙Fruits ∙Milk and dairy ∙Meat and substitutes ∙Oils and fats ∙Water	Seven groups + maternal milk: ∙Cereals ∙Fruits and vegetables ∙Starchy vegetables ∙Legumes ∙Eggs, milk and dairy ∙Fish, poultry, beef and entrails ∙Fats, sugar and iodized salt ∙Maternal milk

KR, key recommendation; INHA, Instituto de Nutrición e Higiene de los Alimentos; CAN-PR, Comisión de Alimentación y Nutrición; SESPAS, Secretaria de Estado de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social.

^*Grains (granos) include beans and corn.