Food systems for health: information brief

Overview

WHO is promoting the implementation of a package of game changing food systems actions, that complement each other and focus on improving the nutritional quality of food along the food supply chain and creating healthier food environments. Today’s food systems are simply failing to deliver healthy diets for all. If food systems are transformed, they can become a powerful driving force towards ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. WHO is promoting this package of actions also in the context of the UN Food Systems Summit, the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021, as well as for the uptake of the CFS Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition.

The package of actions comprises of taxing unhealthy options and subsidising healthy options, protecting children from harmful marketing of food and beverages, ensuring clear and accurate nutrition labels, reducing the levels of salt, sugars and harmful fats in processed food and drink products, fortifying staple foods by adding extra vitamins and minerals, ensuring nutritious foods for healthier diets are served or sold in schools, hospitals and other public places, improving surveillance of and response to foodborne diseases and assessing and strengthening national food control systems.

This information brief outlines for each of these actions what it is about and why it is important, with reference to WHO guidance. Moreover, country case studies are presented and examples of SMART commitments for interested countries.