This week, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre has presented its new ‘Schijf van Vijf’, a pie chart that shows Dutch citizens what to eat and how much to eat of it. What do international students remember of food advice in their home country?

According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, 92 percent of Dutch people know what the ‘Schijf van Vijf’ is. In school, they learn that they have to eat something out of each of the five compartments of the pie on a daily basis. The new version of the symbol is not that different from the old one, but the campaign that goes with it should address a wider audience. No more old-fashioned meals, but examples from all over the world, and more attention for the reduce of meat.

Non-Dutch students do not know anything about the pie chart, but they do remember some of the things they learned about food in their country. Ella (22) and Sarah (22) from Germany remember the lessons from their primary school, when they were about 6 or 7 years old. ‘We learned how to plan our meal, and to use a lot of vegetables and not too much greasy sausage’, Sarah says.

How much you can drink
In France, Laureline (22) has seen advertisements about healthy foods and exercise, but no such thing as a chart for planning meals. She does know that the French government sometimes advertises for more exercise and healthy food, and warns people to drink enough fluids when it is hot. Her roommate Anna (28), from Italy, says that in some bars in her home country, there are chart-like signs on the wall. On it, you can see how much you can drink, according to your weight. Anna: ‘If you drink too much, the police will fine you.’ The ‘Schijf van Vijf’ looks very structured to them. ‘I think people in our country do get the message to eat healthy, but not to eat all these five things every day.’

In South Korea, the thing you hear most about food is that food from South Korea is the healthiest choice. Giun Hui (25) does think it is a bit too salty, though. The government in the country makes sure that companies that produce alcohol or unhealthy food do not advertise too much, Giun Hui and his friend Sangwoon (29) say. Another thing they know is that it is better to eat meat from Australia than from America. Giun Hui: ‘Meat from America supposedly has more bacteria in it.’ / Jozien Wijkhuijs