by An international report released on Thursday highlighted the urgent need for transformative actions to ensure sustainable and healthy diets for all.
Co-authored by 41 researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and partner organisations, the Global Food Policy Report 2024: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition was launched at a regional event in South Asia in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) in Nepal, to focus on improve food security and transform food systems in the region.
The report highlights a slowdown in progress in reducing undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in low- and middle-income countries, while observing rapid increases in overweight and obesity rates.
This double burden of malnutrition – where undernutrition coexists with non-communicable diet-related diseases (NCDs) – poses significant global health challenges.
The report also emphasizes that food systems contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation, seeking their transformation to reduce environmental impacts while ensuring food security.
The report estimates that more than 2 billion people worldwide, including many in South Asia, cannot afford a healthy diet, meaning that addressing affordability and accessibility is critical to improving nutrition outcomes. improve.
Malnutrition remains a critical issue in South Asia, with high rates of stunting and wasting among children. Reflecting on Nepal’s progress, the Honorable Minister of Health and Population, Mr. Pradip Poudel, noted, “According to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2022, the child mortality rate has decreased significantly and stunting has dropped from 57 percent first. in 2001 to 25 percent in 2022.”
However, he said, “Despite progress, the majority of women and the child population still eat unhealthy foods. Food systems play an important role in providing people with a quality diet, and we need to review make our food systems strategies and programming connections within the health system.”
The report identifies poor diet quality as the main driver of malnutrition in the region.
While emphasizing IFPRI’s extensive work on health and nutrition in the region, Dr. Johan Swiinnen, Director General of IFPRI and Managing Director of Systems Transformation at CGIAR, “It is now up to all of us to work to take this knowledge forward and invest. To this end, we must address four entry points: availability, accessibility, affordability and desirability We must address all of these entry points to achieve healthy, sustainable diets for all.
Reflecting on the region’s transformation from food scarcity to surplus, Dr. Shahidur Rashid, Director – South Asia Region, IFPRI, emphasized, “Inclusive economic growth will only happen when the population is fed.”
The report calls for a comprehensive approach to transforming food systems and improving diet quality worldwide.
Key recommendations include implementing crop-neutral policies that promote the production and consumption of diverse, nutrient-rich foods, adjust agricultural subsidies, and improve social safety net programs.
In her speech, Dr Geertrui Louwagie, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, said, “Although the determinants of malnutrition are diverse, without improvement in the quality of diets and increased equality in food distribution (with regard to with respect to gender), reducing malnutrition will not be fast enough to achieve SDG targets.
The report also highlights the importance of strengthening governance and fostering collaboration among government agencies, the private sector and civil society to create an enabling environment for healthy, sustainable diets.
Mr. Niels Balzer, Deputy Country Director at World Food Programme, Nepal, emphasized the need to upgrade and improve the availability of fortified varieties to combat micronutrient deficiencies.
He said, “Along with the involvement of the government, we need to bring the private sector on board to lead the firm efforts, so that we get these products in our supermarkets and urban retail complexes, and not only in rural areas or in fair price shops.”
Commending the report’s research team, Dr Hari Bahadur KC, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Nepal said, “This report has provided deep insights into the status of food and nutrition security and the way forward for the need. policy infrastructure for the future.”
Dr. Biswash Gauchan, Executive Director of IIDS, “The World Food Policy Report 2024 is a call for urgent and concerted efforts to transform global food systems to improve nutrition and health outcomes. It provides insights to make sustainable healthy diets aspirational, affordable , and accessible to all, and addresses challenges from both the demand and supply side.”
Dr. Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI, led the development of the report and Dr. Avinash Kishore, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, author of the South Asia chapter of the report, is also part of the report. initiatives and key recommendations of the report (PFA) and presented.
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