“Poor quality foods contribute significantly to the double burden of malnutrition in developed as well as less-developed countries and throughout the life course,” this is a keynote speech of WHO’s representative to Ethiopia, Dr. Boureima Sambo.
At the regional consultation on the development of CFS voluntary guidelines on food systems and nutrition, Dr. Boureima Sambo pointed out that recent global burden of disease analysis indicate that unhealthy diet is the risk factor for the global burden of diseases. The Africa region still has a large burden of under nutrition in the forms of wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies. As the same time, the prevalence of overweight is rapidly increasing in all age groups, and associated burden of chronic disease such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions pose a real challenge to achieving universal health coverage.
Adding he said that the prevailing food production patterns, marketing, practices and changing lifestyles have led to increasing consumption of cheap, processed foods that are high in sugar, fat and salt content, but low in nutrient quality.
He further mentioned that member states need to develop or strengthen polices and regulatory frameworks to promote, protect and support the consumption of safe and healthy foods throughout the life course. The guidelines that the committee on world food security (CFS) aims to develop should address the gaps in this regard.
With the support of a group like the high-level panel of experts, it is critical to steer a policy dialogue at global level to highlight the importance of protecting human health in the context of trade agreements. Many member states face opposition from commercial interests when they draft polices or regulations to protect breast feeding, or to control the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, and many other examples, he added.
“the consequences of nutritional deficiencies as well as its excesses usually end up sooner or later in the healthy facility from severe malnutrition wards to cardiac event,” he highlighted.
FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa Dr. Chimimba David Phiri on part noted that in fact, there is emerging evidence that one of the most pressing development challenges our world is facing is the food and nutrition crisis. While over 800 million people suffer from hunger, over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and boys between 5-9 years are obese, and over 40 million children under five are overweight.
Dr. Chimimba stated that therefore, the CFS decision to develop guidelines that will provide guidance to governments, as well as specialized institutions and other stakeholders, on action needed to transform food systems towards sustainable elimination of all forms of malnutrition is timely.
He remarked that the rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight, obesity and related chronic diseases in Africa, reflects the fact that the food systems is not geared towards nutrition.
“Experts warn that the risk that poor diets pose to mortality and morbidity is now greater than the combined-risks of unsafe sex, alcohol, drug and tobacco use. If we continue managing our food systems as usual, it will generate catastrophic health burden in the future,” he said.
He pointed out that even if global food production is appropriate, unless foods reach all people in a form that is nutritious and affordable, the problem of malnutrition will not be solved. Therefore, we must ensure that our food systems which are defined as ‘ systems of producing, processing, storing, distributing, marketing, preparing and consuming food and the actors and elements involved as well as the outputs and results of these activities, including, socio-economic and environmental outcomes, are set to deliver healthy diets.
In taking the seriousness of issues, he mentioned that African countries have the responsibility to provide strong leadership and political will to transform agriculture and food systems in ways that promote greater diversity, availability, affordability and healthy diets for all. In this regard, the private sector is an important actor whose potential has not been yet fully harnessed, in part because there is also a lack of trust, and so the private sector is often demonized. Private sector could participate positively in the food systems for nutrition agenda, particularly if we look at mutual interests. It is extremely important to establish dialogue between the private sector, the public sector and consumers in order to promote private sector practices and public perception.
Adding he said that consumers can be catalytic for a change in the private sector’s approach. This is where the civil society mechanism is important. In fact, as global food systems face multiple threats and challenges in the ongoing agriculture transformation agenda, there is an opportunity for social movements and civil society organizations to play a more active role.
To stave off malnutrition and related problems, committee on world food security (CFS) tabled a forum regarding voluntary guidelines on food systems and nutrition. A world free from malnutrition in all its forms, where all people at all stage of life and at all times have access to adequate food and enjoy diversified, balanced and healthy diets for an active and healthy life, is taken as the catchy slogan of nutrition guidelines.
According to the written document, the guidelines revolve around combatting of malnutrition in all its forms of under nutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Overweight and obesity are among the most pressing global challenges that countries face today. Urgent actions are needed to address the challenges and the negative impacts associated with malnutrition.
As to the guidelines study paper, the committee on world food security (CFS) is undertaking a policy process which will lead to the development of voluntary guidelines on food systems and nutrition. The voluntary guidelines are intended to be a reference document that provides guidelines to governments, as well as to specialized institutions and other stakeholders, on appropriate polices, investments and institutional arrangements needed to address the key causes of malnutrition in all its forms.
A compressive and systematic approach will be followed with a view to addressing policy fragmentation between relevant sectors with special emphasis on the food, agriculture and health sectors, while also addressing livelihood and sustainability challenges, the guidelines paper remarked.
In referring to guidelines program, overweight and obesity represent a major risk factor for diet-related non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes as well as chronic respiratory diseases which are a major concern in all regions of the world. While under nutrition is still the main form of malnutrition among children under five, overweight and obesity represent the main burden for school-aged children, adolescent and adults.
By taking the hurdles into consideration, new polices are required to address policy fragmentation and to design interventions that have to be coordinated across sectors such as health, agriculture and food systems, education, water and sanitation, gender, social protection, trade, employment and income which all deal with the multiple causes of malnutrition.
The Ethiopian Herald July 21, 2019
BY MEHARI BEYENE
