Topic: Food systems

"Tackling undernutrition through action and accountability: A ‘reset’ for the prevention, early detection and treatment of wasting and costing information on the consequences of stunting.”

Emergency Nutrition Network, the Power of Nutrition (PoN), Standing Together for Nutrition (ST4N) and the Micronutrient Forum (MNF) held a parallel session at the Pre Summit of the United Nations Food Systems Summit on Monday 26th July. The webinar included a brief overview of the wasting reset, followed by a panel discussion.

Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) has submitted a game-changer on a ‘wasting reset’ that has been included as part of the game-changers of Action Track 1 for the UN Food Systems Summit.

The objective of this wasting reset is “To coalesce and clearly communicate the dialogue around what is required to reduce global wasting incidence and prevalence.” To achieve this, we must join forces to speak with one collective voice; we must embrace our diversity and downplay our differences.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to global food and agriculture sectors. Many governments have closed formal and informal retail outlets for food, and severely restricted the movement of citizens, with the production, processing, transportation, trade, and retail of food being profoundly affected. This has led to multiple shocks throughout the food system.

In the Philippines, AGREA, a group that aims to support the empowerment of local farmers by implementing sustainable agricultural practices and creating inclusive agribusiness livelihood programmes, began getting calls from farmers unable to move their produce. The group quickly set up the Move Food Initiative, an online, Google Form-based, fresh produce ordering platform, which facilitated food to move, at both producers’ and consumers’ end. The initiative has helped reduce food waste and post-harvest loss on the side of the farmers and on the consumers end, provided people who needed food but were not able to leave their homes because of the quarantine, access to fresh produce. By the end of November 2020, 191,447 kg of fruits and vegetables had been delivered, 28,122 farmers had been partnered with, and fruits and vegetables had been served to 78,177 families and 4,690 frontline workers.

In this podcast Natalie Sessions (ENN Senior Nutritionist) and Emily Mates (ENN Technical Director) talk to Emmy Simmonds, a member of the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition.

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition published its new Report, Food Systems: For people, our planet and prosperity on the 29th September 2020. The report brings together a substantial body of evidence to guide policymakers and others, particularly those in LMICs, in making the transition to food systems which provide sustainable, healthy diets for all.