The importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition
Research snapshot1
There is considerable ongoing debate around how food systems can better ensure the delivery of healthy, safe, nutritious foods in a way that is environmentally sustainable and resilient to climate change. Food systems are complex entities with many interconnecting drivers, stakeholders and outcomes. Furthermore, food systems and climate change have a cyclical relationship, as environmental change is both a driver and an outcome of food systems.
Climate change impacts the immediate, underlying and basic causes of undernutrition. As climate change progresses, optimal conditions for human health will continue to come under threat introducing instability into our food systems and ultimately decreasing access to nutritionally dense and healthy foods. While this is likely to affect the nutritional status of all populations, it will have a disproportionate impact on poor and marginalised populations.
The bi-directional relationship between food systems, environmental change and nutrition demands that nutrition scientists engage in food systems transformation. Nutrition is inherently a multidisciplinary science; however, within nutrition, scientists have been traditionally siloed into those studying undernutrition and overweight and those in humanitarian or development contexts. Given the global inter-and transdisciplinary nature of these challenges, the traditional boundaries need to be broken down to ensure relevant public health interventions, research and policies.
Current research gaps in this important area include:
- Scientific consensus on definitions and metrics to assess the sustainability of dietary patterns and food environments
- Limited scope of research e.g., research needs to be implemented across different stages of the supply chain, a wider variety of food products and on a wider range of nutrition outcomes
- Limited topic base e.g., research is needed on food safety, food waste and loss and the role of consumer practices
- Levers of change in the food system and how to utilise these
- Accurate global and subnational data on topics such as dietary patterns, food loss and waste
- Applicability of current literature to more localised contexts
1 Fanzo J, Bellows L A, Spiker L M, Thorne-Lyman L A, Bloem W M (2021) The importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021; 113(1): 7-6. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa313.
More like this
FEX: Fix my food: children’s views on transforming food systems
View this article as a pdf Fleming, C. A., Chandra, S., Hockey, K., Lala, G., Munn, L., Sharma, D., & Third, A. (2021). Fix my food: children's views on transforming food...
FEX: Food Systems Summit
View this article as a pdf The United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit was held virtually during the UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September 2021. Recognising that too...
FEX: Improving the way we address acute malnutrition in Africa’s drylands
View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici By Helen Young, Abdalmonim Osman, Dr. Marshak, Anne Radday, Emmanuella Olesambu, Nola Jenkins, Darana...
FEX: The relationship between wasting and stunting: policy, programming and research implications
Summary of review1 This summary was prepared by Tanya Khara, an independent consultant engaged by the ENN on this review. The review was made possible by the generous support...
FEX: Linking agriculture with nutrition within SDG2: making a case for a dietary diversity indicator
By Anna Lartey Anna Lartey is Director of FAO's Nutrition Division within the Economic and Social Development Department at FAO in Rome. She was a Professor of Nutrition at...
FEX: Regional Perspective: West and Central Africa
Simeon Nanama is the Regional Nutrition Advisor at the UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) Arnaud Laillou is a Regional Nutrition Specialist (prevention...
FEX: TALENT Collaboration: Exploring adolescent diet and physical activity in India and sub-Saharan Africa.
View this article as a pdf By Polly Hardy-Johnson, Susie Weller, Sarah Helen Kehoe, Mary Barker, Abraham Haileamalak, Landing Jarju, Julie Jesson, GV Krishnaveni, Kalyanaraman...
FEX: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021
View this article as a pdf The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund...
FEX: Food system transformation
View this article as a pdf This is a summary of the following paper: Fanzo J, Haddad L, Schneider K, Béné C, Covic, N, Guarin A et al (2021) Viewpoint: Rigorous...
FEX: Food systems for children and adolescents
View this article as a pdf Research snapshot1 Well-nourished children and adolescents are the foundation of thriving communities and nations. Undernutrition, in the form of...
FEX: Impact evaluation of a DFID programme to accelerate improved nutrition for the extreme poor in Bangladesh
Summary of evaluation1 Location: Bangladesh What we know: There is little evidence of the impact of integrated livelihoods and nutrition programmes. What this article adds:...
FEX: Future Food Systems: For people, our planet and prosperity
On the 29th September 2020, the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition released its second foresight report entitled 'Future Food Systems: For people, our...
FEX: Climate Changeas a driver of humanitarian crisis and response
Summary of published research1 Thousands of Somalis have been displaced by what is described as the worst floods in the country in 10 years. Tufts University has recently...
FEX: ‘Vida Saludable’: Healthy living is on the school curriculum in Mexico
Read a Spanish version of the article here View this article as a pdf By Angélica Hernández, Gabriela Tamez Hidalgo and Anabel Fiorella...
NEX: Adaptation and mitigation of climate-change effects on food and nutrition security in Honduras
View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici José Lino Pacheco is Director of the Food and Nutrition Security Technical Unit, Secretary of...
FEX: Food systems for safe, nutritious and affordable diets in central Sahel
View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici This article provides the findings and recommendations of a literature review and a series of...
FEX: Bioenergy and Nutrition nexus: An exploration of the links for win-win opportunities
View this article as a pdf This is a summary of the following paper: Global Bioenergy Partnership (2022) Literature review of the linkages between bioenergy and nutrition....
FEX: Determinants of adolescent nutritional status and practices in Burkina Faso: A pooled secondary analysis
View this article as a pdf Lisez cet article en français ici By Deepali Godha, Maurice Zafimanjaka, Estelle Bambara, Nathalie Likhite and Manisha Tharaney. Deepali...
FEX: An evidence gap map: food systems interventions for nutrition and food security outcomes
View this article as a pdf Moore N, Lane C, Storhaug I, Franich A, Rolker H, Furgeson J et al (2021) 3ie Evidence gap map brief: The effects of food systems interventions on...
FEX: Food systems and how they relate to malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries
View this article as a pdf This is a summary of the following report: ENN (2021) Food systems and how they relate to malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries. Oxford,...
Reference this page
The importance of food systems and the environment for nutrition. Field Exchange 65, May 2021. p70. www.ennonline.net/fex/65/foodsystemsnutrition
(ENN_7055)