The (scarce and circumscribed) culinary content in food-based dietary guidelines around the world: 1991–2021

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the culinary content of key messages contained in food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) available at the global online repository of the FAO of the UN. DESIGN: Document analysis was conducted in August 2021 with data extraction of key messages explicitly related to cooking present in FBDG. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. SETTING: The FAO’s global repository of FBDG. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. RESULTS: Just over half (n 39; 53·4 %) of the seventy-three FBDG analysed included at least one key message about cooking. The Latin American and Caribbean FBDG presented the greatest amount and variety of content about cooking in the key messages, whereas the Near East and North America placed less emphasis on cooking. We identified three themes: (i) healthy food preparation (n 35; 61·4 % of the fifty-seven culinary key messages identified); (ii) food hygiene (n 14; 24·6 %) and (iii) the promotion of culinary practices (n 7; 12·3 %). Albania’s key message covered two themes (food hygiene and healthy food preparation) (n 1; 1·8 %). CONCLUSION: FBDG are official documents that express recommendations for a healthy diet. As most of these recommendations throughout the world include foods that must be cooked prior to consumption, culinary content should gain more visibility and be presented more broadly in these official documents.