World Food Committee Gathering Inputs for Draft Guidelines on Food Systems, Nutrition

Addis Ababa ENA July 16/2019 The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is holding a regional consultative meeting here to collect inputs that could be included in the draft guidelines on food systems and nutrition.

The two days  meeting which began today is aimed at collecting inputs from African food and nutrition perspective on zero draft of Voluntary Guidelines on Food systems and Nutrition  prepared by the committee.

The guidelines to be completed next year are intended to serve as references for governments and relevant stakeholders to effectively address malnutrition in all its forms.

In her presentation about the importance of the guidelines, Jessica Fanzo, Global Food Ethics and Policy Program Director at John Hopkin's University, United States, said countries in Africa and beyond have failed to integrate food systems into nutrition policy.

In light of this, the guidelines will help countries to address the gaps in a manner that integrates nutrition policy in what is coming from food market, she added.

According to Fanzo, Ethiopia is one of low income countries making a fantastic job in reducing stunting. She suggested Ethiopian policy makers to integrate food systems into its nutrition policy.

The Voluntary Guidelines on Food systems and Nutrition is in line with SDG 2 that targets to  end all forms of malnutrition by the end 2030.

The regional consultative forum has gathered participants from government, civil society organizations, researchers, UN bodies and other relevant bodies.

The Committee on World Food Security (CFS), which is based in Rome, has 125 member countries that promote sustainable food system to improve nutrition through policy.

In Africa almost 21 percent of the population is engulfed with the problem of undernourishment, according to the 2018 State of Food Security and Nutrition Policy Report.