Agricultural Policies and Climate Change:

Challenge and Opportunity for Future Diets and Public Health

Journal Club6 Feb 2009

Sirinya Phulkerd

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Outline

• Objectives

• Methods

• Major findings

• Summary

• Recommendations

• Challenges

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Objectives

• To identify what we learn from reviewed evidence and case studies from around the world that feature innovative policies and programs in the agriculture and food sector (including fisheries and foresty) with links to sustainable natural resource use, resulting in good nutrition

• To identify challenges and appropriate policy recommendations in the food and agriculture sectors for a safe, healthy food supply for consumers

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Methods

• Being the rapporteur of parallel session 2 at Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2009

• List of speakers:1. Josef Schimidhuber (Head of Global Perspectives Studies Unit, FAO)

‘Global trends in food and nutrition issues: climate change, biofuel and soaring food prices’

2. Ricardo Uauy (President of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences) ‘Policy options to improve diet and public health: Addressing the double burden of malnutrition’

3. Christina Grandi (Board member of AIAB and Laison officer of IFOAM) ‘Sustainable, organic school meals in Italy’

4. Simon J. Funge-Smith (Senior fishery officer and secretary of APFIC, FAO) ‘Case studies in fisheries self-governance’

5. Marie L’Abbe (Director of Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health

Major findings

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Global agriculture, food and nutrition1. Food markets are still growing, but increasingly saturated fat.

2. Exporters and importers in agriculture and energy depend on food & fuel trade balance.

3. Climate change especially in developing countries (lower latitude areas) bears the brunt of in health and agriculture.

4. Agriculture is considered the single largest source of GHG emission and will have to make a contribution to reductions!

5. Critical challenges for health and agriculture in the decades ahead.

What we learn from reviewed evidence(1)

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Addressing malnutrition in all its forms1. Support strategy addressing all forms of Malnutrition

• Address Undernutrition (vit A, Fe, Zn, I, folate,B12)

• Life course approach to nutrition for health

• Burden of nutrition related chronic disease

• Prevent age related functional decline

2. Integrate the work of UN, bilateral and multilateral agencies, NGO and civil society to address the Prevention and Control of Malnutrition in all its forms

3. Current and previous Public health and Nutrition Programs• Targeted to Low SES, based on low weight not weight/height

• Foods distributed are high energy/protein often not fortified with adequate micronutrients, weight gain but not length gain.

• Stunted are at increased risk for obesity if given excess energy

What we learn from reviewed evidence(2)

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Sustainable, Organic School Meals in Italy• Appropriate legislation and national guidelines

• Modification menus: seasonal variation, availability of locally produced organic products.

• Modification of criteria for tenders: not only price, but quality (freshness, sustainability of the whole service)

• Educational program to children, information tools for parents

• Training to local authority staff, responsible for quality control and supervision

• Setting up a participatory approach with all the actors

• Organic school canteens in Italy promote healthy eating habits in the population

• Locally procured organic foods, in addition to being environmentally friendly, can be an important tool for sustaining traditional food culture and farmers

What we learn from case studies(1)

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Fisheries Self-Governance 1. Aquatic resources make a fundamental contribution to food and nutrition

security and health: • In many developing countries

• Provide dietary quality to diets

• Particular importance for poorer people with less access to land and intensive systems

2. Be aware of potential adverse impacts on nutrition and associated costs:• Agricultural intensification, development of marine fisheries, aquaculture

development, hydropower, mining, irrigation/water development, agro-based industries

3. It is difficult to demonstrate direct health and dietary benefits from the self governance activity:

• community level – open ways to communicate with fisheries groups and engage on health related issues

• national level - improved governance of fisheries ensures sustained contribution of benefits of fish in the diet

What we learn from case studies(2)

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Taking trans fat out of the food supply - the Canadian Experience

1. The Canadian experience indicates that the greatest success is achieved when all sectors work collaboratively

• Continued progress in reduction of TFA from products in different food categories

• Success of the most of the top fast food and family restaurant chains in Canada in reducing TFA from menu items that have been previously high in TFA (ex. French fries, chicken products, fish products, and pizzas).

2. Many initiatives were required• Action 1: Analytical

• Action 2: Mandatory Nutrition Labelling

• Action 3: Other Labelling Initiatives

• Action 4: Other actions for reducing trans fats in Canada (ie. The Trans Fat Task Force released its final report June, 2006)

• Action 5: Trans Fat Monitoring Program

3. The media and other stakeholders have played an important role• helped increase consumer awareness about TFA

• helped highlight the actions taken by industry to remove TFA from products

• high profile program: approx 1,300 hits per day on website (following 1st data set release)

What we learn from case studies(3)

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Summary

• Impact on health and food security– The growth of food market– Climate change and GHG emission

• Addressing all forms of malnutrition• Focusing on both individual and environmental factors

(physical, social and macro-level environments)• Collaborative works with different sectors (especially

food industry) and at different levels (community, national and international levels)

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1. Expand the focus of unhealthy diet/diet inadequacy/diet change prevention at individual factors (i.e. lifestyle and food preference) only to include environmental factors (i.e. globalization and media & advertising)

2. Build physically-active environments (i.e. building exercise into daily life)

3. Access/ availability/affordability of healthy food

4. Respond to major global changes, including the evolving epidemiology of nutrition

5. Involve all the important stakeholders especially food industry (multi-sectoral policies)

6. Strengthen supply and demand of healthy choices

7. Include school based policies

8. Include maternal nutrition and exclusive breast feeding

9. Regulate the food chain e.g. labelling, content of unhealthy ingredients

Policy recommendations at global level

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Global challenges

1. A vision, mission, and an organisational structure in community, national and international levels, including their roles

2. Collaborative work between non-and government sectors

• Public health

• Agriculture

• Industry

• Mass communication

• etc.3. Strong research policy nexus

4. Investment in human and institutional capacity in long term

5. Developing policy monitoring and evaluation

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It is time for Thailand to think about

Diet, Nutrition and Prevention