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Dawit A. Chekol, Ciara Varley, Anna Lorente, Charles Spillane
On May 29, 2024, EcoFoodSystems researchers attended the virtual launch of the International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI‘s 2024 Global Food Policy Report. The theme, “Improving Diets and Nutrition through Food Systems: What Will it Take?” engaged policymakers, researchers, agricultural experts, and civil society. Hosted both virtually and in-person, the event served as a dynamic platform to discuss the future of global nutrition and food security.
Despite global efforts, malnutrition still affects millions worldwide, driven by unhealthy diets leading to undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases. According to recent estimates from Tufts University, nearly 3 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet. Attention is needed not only for human health but also for environmental sustainability. Negative trends in undernourishment and food insecurity have been observed since 2014, with worsening malnutrition, particularly in low and middle-income countries facing a double (undernutrition, overnutrition) and triple burden (undernutrition, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiency).
The 2024 report addresses these issues through eight thematic and six regional chapters. These highlight diet and nutrition priorities and propose interventions and policy solutions, especially for vulnerable populations, with the aim of furthering effective programmatic and policy options for sustainable, healthy diets.
Some of the key takeaways for the EcoFoodSystems researchers and project included:
- Rapid changes in food environments necessitate supply-side innovations to reduce environmental impacts and meet demand.
- Key challenge areas include; a) Trade-offs between healthiness and sustainability of diets; b) Ultra-processed foods, and c) Scarcity of methods, tools to measure the food systems.
- Greater coordination among food system actors is needed to address complexities, trade-offs and priority setting for competing development outcomes.
- Understanding individual food choices and consumer behaviours is crucial for reshaping food systems to meet nutrition and sustainability goals.
- Demand-side actions (including Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, Social and Behavior change interventions) can promote sustainable production by influencing preferences and purchasing power.
A key message from the launch was the rapid changes occurring in food environments. Gabriela Fretes from IFPRI noted that food environments in rural and urban low and middle-income countries are undergoing changes at a quick pace. Policy innovations to improve these environments and promote sustainable, healthy diets are essential, but require further research. To achieve sustainable and healthy diets, tackling individual and household barriers, enforcing mandatory policies, and ensuring industry accountability are considered essential.
Others in attendance included Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation; Namukolo Covic, CGIAR Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia, CGIAR Ethiopia Country Convener and CGIAR Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, ILRI; Christopher Barrett, Stephen B. and Janice G. Ashley, Professors of Applied Economics and Management and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Food Policy, Cornell University; Lynnette Neufeld, Director, Food and Nutrition Division of Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), Italy; Shelly Sundberg, Interim Director, Agricultural Development, Nutrition, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Purnima Menon (IFPRI, New Delhi).
The EcoFoodSystems project considers that evidence-based policies and actions are critically necessary to transform food systems for better health, sustainability and equity outcomes. As in IFPRI’s report, the EcoFoodSystems research project places emphasis on generation, curation and synthesis of robust evidence to support better decision making by city regional stakeholders towards evidence-informed dietary transitions that deliver intended outcomes and impacts.
You can watch the webinar or read the full report to learn more about actions needed for improving diets and nutrition through food systems, or explore the EcoFoodSystems site to learn how the EcoFoodSystems research and innovation project is approaching the question of how to enable transitions towards diets that are more sustainable, healthier and affordable for consumers in city regions.