Bridge Builders Network – a Nordic multidisciplinary research network on healthy aging viewed from a food and nutrition perspective

The Nordic region shares same challenges of an aging population in which an increased number are considered as malnourished and/or suffering from loneliness (Eustat, 2021; Volkert et al. 2019; WHO, 2021). This puts a pressure on the welfare state resources (European Commission, 2021). Health authorities in the Nordic countries focus on rehabilitation welfare technology solutions and the concept of healthy aging. Furthermore, the need for considering sustainable solutions requires sustainable food products for an increasing aging population. This challenges the retail and foodservice sector to provide access to food products and meal solutions that are culturally well known, acceptable and nutritionally adequate (Justesen, Mertanen & Lang, 2018) as part of a healthy aging approach.
Above challenges demand new scientific knowledge as well as professionals from the areas of food, nutrition, sustainability, health care, social and health services working together. This reflects the complexity of healthy aging viewed from a food and nutrition perspective and demands a professional and multidisciplinary approach to address solutions that can accommodate these challenges.
In order to respond to these challenges, the network “Bridge Builders – Building sustainable nutritional bridges between research and health and wellbeing services for elderly” was established in 2020 with funding from the Nordic Joint Committee for Agriculture and Food research (NKJ).