Strengthening Governance and Institutional Capacity at the Nutrition-Food Supply Policy Nexus; Comment on “What Opportunities Exist for Making the Food Supply Nutrition Friendly? A Policy Space Analysis in Mexico”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Abstract

Cervantes et al have provided an insightful addition to the policy literature by identifying the contextual, political, and policy factors that create constraints and opportunities for putting nutrition at the center of the food supply chain policy process. This commentary discusses important elements and features when aiming for reconciling nutrition goals and food supply policy, provides some examples of the salience of nutrition of non-health policies in countries with different income levels, and argues for improving governance for better nutrition outcomes and inspiring institutional interest and idea of food supply policy actors around population nutrition. Cervantes et al highlight the political context that favors nutrition outcomes, nutrition advocacy in the public agenda, and multisectoral mechanisms which can keep the nutrition objective moving forward in the food supply sector. However, a wider view on governance and institutional capacity is needed, recognizing government action by multiple sectors, with diverse sets of actors. The expanded understanding of nutrition, which includes considering nutrition as an emerging facet of food systems, by policy actors is needed. Enhancing discourse involving nutrition and food supply actors is important in order to appeal to the wider public and opinion leaders across the political spectrum. Accomplishing this also requires political will and an advocacy movement, especially by civil society and grassroots movements.

Keywords

References

  1. Cervantes G, Thow AM, Gómez-Oliver L, Durán Arenas L, Pérez-Ferrer C. What opportunities exist for making the food supply nutrition friendly? A policy space analysis in Mexico. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2021. doi:34172/ijhpm.2021.164
  2. Thow AM, Greenberg S, Hara M, Friel S, duToit A, Sanders D. Improving policy coherence for food security and nutrition in South Africa: a qualitative policy analysis. Food Secur. 2018;10(4):1105-1130. doi:1007/s12571-018-0813-4
  3. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action: World Food Summit, 13-17 November 1996, Rome, Italy.
  4. Nordhagen S, Lambertini E, DeWaal CS, McClafferty B, Neufeld LM. Integrating nutrition and food safety in food systems policy and programming. Glob Food Sec. 2022;32:100593. doi:1016/j.gfs.2021.100593
  5. Reardon T, Timmer CP. The economics of the food system revolution. Annu Rev Resour Economics. 2012;4(1):225-264. doi:1146/annurev.resource.050708.144147
  6. Matos RA, Adams M, Sabaté J. The consumption of ultra-processed foods and non-communicable diseases in Latin America. Front Nutr. 2021;8:622714. doi:3389/fnut.2021.622714
  7. Elizabeth L, Machado P, Zinöcker M, Baker P, Lawrence M. Ultra-processed foods and health outcomes: a narrative review. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):1955. doi:3390/nu12071955
  8. Juul F, Vaidean G, Parekh N. Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular diseases: potential mechanisms of action. Adv Nutr. 2021;12(5):1673-1680. doi:1093/advances/nmab049
  9. Nestle M. How neoliberalism ruins traditional diets and health. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2019;7(8):595. doi:1016/s2213-8587(19)30142-1
  10. Harris J, Hrynick T, Thien MTM, et al. Tensions and coalitions: a new trade agreement affects the policy space for nutrition in Vietnam. Food Secur. 2022. doi:1007/s12571-022-01264-1
  11. Baker P, Friel S, Gleeson D, Thow AM, Labonte R. Trade and nutrition policy coherence: a framing analysis and Australian case study. Public Health Nutr. 2019;22(12):2329-2337. doi:1017/s1368980019000752
  12. Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council. Thailand's 20-year National Strategy. http://nscr.nesdc.go.th/%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%98%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4/. Accessed March 31, 2021.
  13. Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). A Guide to the Board of Investment 2021. Bangkok: BOI; 2021.
  14. Greenberg S. Corporate power in the agro-food system and the consumer food environment in South Africa. J Peasant Stud. 2017;44(2):467-496. doi:1080/03066150.2016.1259223
  15. Thow AM, Sanders D, Drury E, et al. Regional trade and the nutrition transition: opportunities to strengthen NCD prevention policy in the Southern African Development Community. Glob Health Action. 2015;8:28338. doi:3402/gha.v8.28338
  16. Schram A, Labonté R, Sanders D. Urbanization and international trade and investment policies as determinants of noncommunicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;56(3):281-301. doi:1016/j.pcad.2013.09.016
  17. Lawrence MA, Baker PI. Ultra-processed food and adverse health outcomes. BMJ. 2019;365:l2289. doi:1136/bmj.l2289
  18. HLPE. Nutrition and Food Systems. A Report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security. Rome: High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee (HLPE); 2017.
  19. Ingram J. A food systems approach to researching food security and its interactions with global environmental change. Food Secur. 2011;3(4):417-431. doi:1007/s12571-011-0149-9
  20. Jarzębowski S, Bourlakis M, Bezat-Jarzębowska A. Short food supply chains (SFSC) as local and sustainable systems. Sustainability. 2020;12(11):4715. doi:3390/su12114715
  21. Schmidt MC, Kolodinsky JM, DeSisto TP, Conte FC. Increasing farm income and local food access: a case study of a collaborative aggregation, marketing, and distribution strategy that links farmers to markets. J Agric Food Syst Community Dev. 2011;1(4):157-175. doi:5304/jafscd.2011.014.017
  22. Svenfelt Å, Carlsson-Kanyama A. Farmers’ markets–linking food consumption and the ecology of food production? Local Environ. 2010;15(5):453-465. doi:1080/13549831003735411
  23. Majewski E, Komerska A, Kwiatkowski J, et al. Are short food supply chains more environmentally sustainable than long chains? A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the eco-efficiency of food chains in selected EU countries. Energies. 2020;13(18):4853. doi:3390/en13184853
  24. United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Short Food Supply Chains for Promoting Local Food on Local Markets. Vienna: UNIDO; 2020.
  25. World Health Organization (WHO). Time to Deliver: Report of the WHO Independent High-Level Commission on Noncommunicable Diseases. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
  26. Alders R, Cribb J, Nunn M, Kock R, Bagnol B, Rushton J. Chapter 3.1 Approaches to Fixing Broken Food Systems. Basel: Karger; 2016. doi:1159/000452381
  27. United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN). Investments for Healthy Food Systems: A Framework Analysis and Review of Evidence on Food System Investments for Improving Nutrition. Rome: UNSCN; 2016.
International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 11, Issue 12
December 2022
Pages 3133-3136

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 10 April 2022
  • Revise Date: 30 June 2022
  • Accept Date: 03 July 2022
  • First Publish Date: 04 July 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics