CFS side event: Transforming food systems for healthier diets
Tuesday 18 October
18.00 – 19.30
For the second year running, the Global Panel was at the 43rd Committee on World Food Security for the side event: “Transforming food systems for healthier diets: What will it take to achieve major acceleration in delivering healthy diets in the Decade of Action on Nutrition?” organised in partneriship with HarvestPlus, IFPRI and FAO.
Panel presentations included:
- Nourishing Millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition – Dr James Garrett, Senior Research Fellow, Bioversity International, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health
- Foresight Report “Food Systems and Diets: Facing the challenges of the 21st century” – Prof Corinna Hawkes, Director of the Centre for Food Policy, City, University of London
- Sustainable Landscapes and Waterscapes for Healthy Diets – Dr Fabrice DeClerck, Senior Scientist, Bioversity International, Agricultural Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- Biofortification: Increasing the nutrient value of staple foods – Mr Paul Ilona, Country Manager, Nigeria, HarvestPlus
- A call to action: Accelerating achievement of healthy diets in the Decade of Action on Nutrition – Dr Anna Lartey, Director, Nutrition and Food Systems Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
In declaring the period of 2016-2025 as the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, the UN General Assembly places nutrition at the heart of sustainable development, recognising that coherent policies and actions across the food system are needed to deliver healthy diets and help achieve the 2030 goal of ending malnutrition in all its forms.
This panel of experts presented recommended actions to accelerate nutrition gains. The FAO provided recommended actions for reforming food systems based on the outcomes of the 2nd International Conference of Nutrition (ICN2). Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) discussed agricultural diversity and sustainability, focusing on the role of food systems and diets in contributing to improved nutrition. Drawing from Nourishing Millions: Stories of Change in Nutrition, IFPRI shared success stories from the past five decades and provide insight into factors that contribute to success. HarvestPlus highlighted biofortification as a sustainable, cost-effective way to add micronutrients to diets of the poor and discuss partnerships for scaling-up impact. The Global Panel presented recommendations from its Foresight Report on food systems and high-quality diets.
Healthy diets are necessary to fuel thriving communities, nations, and economies, and the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition provides an important opportunity to accelerate action.