Kerman University of Medical Sciences International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2322-5939 10 Special Issue on Political Economy of Food Systems 2021 12 01 Addressing Malnutrition: The Importance of Political Economy Analysis of Power 809 816 3986 10.34172/ijhpm.2020.250 EN Helen Walls Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK 0000-0003-0538-3859 Nick Nisbett Health and Nutrition Cluster, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK Amos Laar Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana 0000-0001-5557-0164 Scott Drimie Division of Human Nutrition, Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa Shehla Zaidi Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan Jody Harris Health and Nutrition Cluster, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK 0000-0002-3369-1253 Journal Article 2020 05 30 Background<br />The exercise of power is central to understanding global health and its policy and governance processes, including how food systems operate and shape population nutrition. However, the issue of power in food systems has been little explored empirically or theoretically to date. In this article, we review previous work on understanding power in addressing malnutrition as part of food systems that could be used in taking this issue further in future food systems research. In particular, we examine why acknowledging power is vital in addressing food systems for better nutritional outcomes, approaches to assessing power in empirical research, and ways of addressing issues of power as they relate to food systems.<br /> <br />Methods<br />We undertook a narrative review and synthesis. This involved identifying relevant articles from searches of PubMed and Scopus, and examining the reference lists of included studies. We considered for inclusion literature written in English and related to countries of all income levels. Data from included articles were summarized under several themes.<br /> <br />Results<br />We highlight the importance of <em>acknowledging </em>power as a critical issue in food systems, present approaches that can be taken by food-systems researchers and practitioners in <em>assessing </em>power to understand the ways in which power works in food systems and wider society, and present material relating to <em>addressing </em>power and developing strategies to improve food systems for better nutrition, health and well-being.<br /> <br />Conclusion<br />A range of research approaches exist that can inform examination of power in food systems, and support the development of strategies to improve food systems for better nutrition, health and well-being. However, there is considerable scope for further work in this under-researched area. We hope that this review will support the necessary research to understand further power in food systems and drive the much-needed transformative change. https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3986_540393ae7f8b7a7fd6cdf47250b05679.pdf