The main goal of the Norwegian policy on food and nutrition for the period 1975-1990 is to reduce the proportion of fat in the diet to 35 per cent of the energy supply. This should be achieved through a gradual change in diet. Figures on food supply and consumption show that this target has been reached. The dietary changes have probably contributed considerably to the decrease in cardiovascular disease since the early 1970s. It is most likely that public health can still gain much from further changes in the Norwegian diet.