TABLE 3.

Elements included in food guides

	Number	% (of 78)1
Conveys proportionality between food groups2	74	94.9
Includes recommended quantity or number of servings	27	34.6
Shape of food guide
Pyramid or inverted pyramid	31	39.7
Circle or plate	21	26.9
Cultural item (e.g., basket, pot, drum, mortar, map, nutmeg, sugar mill)	22	28.2
Other (diagram, rainbow, stoplight)	7	9.0
Number of food groups illustrated, excluding fats/oils and sweets/sugars3
Three	9	11.5
Four	21	26.9
Five	40	51.3
Six or more	8	10.3
Includes fats/oils4	68	87.2
Includes sweets/sugars4	55	70.5
Includes other items for moderation4, 5	28	35.9
Includes exercise4	38	48.7
Includes water4	44	56.4

¹Denominator is the 78 countries that use a food guide and provided it to the FAO.

²A food guide is considered to convey proportionality if food groups are shown in different sizes. Note that the nature of the proportionality messages (balance between groups) varied considerably.

³To identify the number of groups, both the food guide and the verbal description of the food guide provided by country authorities to the FAO and included on country webpages were examined. In cases where there was ambiguity, text provided by the country authorities was taken first; in the absence of explicit text on groups, groups were considered separate if separate group names or portion recommendations were included on the graphic. Because 15–20% of food guides do not include either fats/oils or sweets/sugars, and because these groups usually are recommended in moderation, they are excluded from this count, despite that in some countries there is a “healthy fats” group that is encouraged. The remaining food groups are usually encouraged for daily consumption; in some food guides, some food groups are encouraged for less frequent consumption (e.g., X times per week for meat or fish).

⁴Food guides were considered to “include” the group or element if there was a graphic image or text integrated into the graphic itself. Key messages provided in lists below the graphic on a few guides are not included.

⁵Usually, the other items include depiction of “fast food” and/or processed meats (fried potatoes, hamburgers, sausage).