Find your balance – the challenges of developing portion size guidance for the public.

Portion size of foods and drinks is likely to be an important factor in helping people to control their weight. The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) undertook work, with input from an Expert Panel of academics, to develop portion size guidance for healthy adults to complement the UK Eatwell Guide. A Working Group from the food industry provided funding and input on issues related to their sector. To inform the development of the portion size guide, information on portion sizes provided in food‐based dietary guidance from selected countries was reviewed as well as the methods used to develop the guidance. Portion sizes for a range of foods from the main food groups of the Eatwell Guide (excluding fruit and vegetables) were developed with reference to consumption data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey and portion sizes available in major supermarkets. These were tested within different dietary patterns (e.g. omnivorous vs. vegetarian) for their ability to meet current UK food and nutrient‐based recommendations. Views on portion size and design concepts for the guidance were then explored in consumer focus groups. The final Find your balance resources were published in January 2019, with a large amount of associated media coverage and over 58 000 downloads from the BNF website in the 6 months following publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]