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Discussion group 4: French Group The participants of this group put forward that we have to put all actors in the food chains together and think from there. The top five solutions to move toward a true cost food system the group came up with were: Accompany producers to identify & quantify costs and improve their negotiating position. Producers must be well informed and trained on the variables to be taken into account in the cost of production. Thus, they will negotiate better contracts and this will allow them to set prices close to reality. Reduce waste to improve efficiency and reduce ... Read morecosts (distribution) The losses at the level of the distributors are enormous; they can go up to about 40%. Distributors must pay for unsold and discarded products. To reduce these costs, they can donate to associations and/or give for processing. This reduces costs. Tax reform (reduced VAT for fair trade products) + subsidize sustainable producers. The State could reduce value-added taxes for fair trade products to incentivise more sustainable and fair practices by producers. Consumer education: transparency through labels Labels, an ethical purchase label could have an effect, it could lead the consumer to orientate himself towards the product. Generally, labels work quite well. Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues and develop a transversal food policy. We need Multi-Stakeholder platforms and a national transversal food policy that cuts across sectors to prioritise key issues and identify solutions collectively. Read less

Discussion group 3: Spanish group This discussion group emphasises the role of young entrepreneurs and the role of the youth in general. We should target the younger generations, since they will be the ones establishing new, more responsible and inclusive consumption trends, and kick start innovations in recognizing and revaluing the role of food producers. The top three solutions to move toward a true cost food system the group came up with were: Incidence with large food industries - show evidence Advocacy with large food industries through evidence on the value of more sustainable and fair ... Read morepractices is key. Evidence must be built and systematized about the true cost of food. Also, establish changes in economic, tax and incentive regulations that promote sustainable production and make companies responsible for their practices. Governments have a key role in transparency and local development of agriculture. Fairer food systems start with local changes, then scale regionally, nationally to eventually build global changes. Also, establish new local models of more sustainable production and scale up so that it can be available to all consumers (not just a small group with greater purchasing power). Develop short production circuits that feed the cities. Make links between city youth and rural youth. Youth need an enabling environment and there must be a strong education on sustainable food chains. Younger generations are the ones who will take on the new roles in society in the future. We need education campaigns and consumer awareness about external costs. Inform about the impact on people's lives and the planet during the purchase of a product. Read less

Discussion group 2: English 2 In this discussion group, the participants saw a major role for governments in getting things in motion towards fairer and more sustainable food systems. Change should start from global political alignment. Calling for a very big conversation that needs to reveal the costs of government subsidies and much better collaboration between public and private. At the same time, there was a consensus amongst everyone that it’s not just governance, but that collaboration is how we are going to get out of the status quo. We need a complete value shift. In reality, overcon... Read moresumption is the problem, and we waste so much food. It’s about revaluing ourselves, our values, our collective behaviour. The top four solutions to move toward a true cost food system the group came up with were: Governmental support (subsidies) to smaller producers. Government should protect their local producers with subsidies. Now, most of the subsidies are not going to sustainable practices. Direct trade between producers and consumers. There should be more local producers selling directly to consumers (CSA). Now, it’s probably a relatively small group of people that care enough about knowing where their food is coming from and that it’s sustainably grown, but that’s where it starts as a snowball effect. Demand and importance of local produce have already increased a lot during the global COVID pandemic. Educating consumers on the origins of their food. In general, people have no idea what the cost of their food is. We need to educate people about where their food comes from. There is a big role for schools and education. We need to educate people from all sorts of backgrounds and age groups. Increasing transparency in the food chain. It’s crucial to reduce anonymity in supply chains. Anonymity is one of the leading causes of large-scale collective action problems. Read less

Discussion Group 1: English 1 Participants acknowledged that you would level the playing field for sustainable produce if you’d give more power to the government to install regulations around sustainably produced products. But, you’d also need international agreements, or sustainably produced products still wouldn’t be competitive on the world market. The top three solutions to move toward a true cost food system the group came up with were: Consumer education: transparency is key Educating consumers about what a true price is, e.g. via an application, building your supermarket around su... Read morestainable products, ensuring transparency about the product's origins and what happens to the price increase, helping consumers make the right choice. Consumer education is very powerful because we are all consumers. Consumers also make policies and sit in boardrooms. Yet, this alone is not enough: some consumers cannot afford it or have other things on their minds while shopping. Governments as regulators of markets and systems (international standards) Governments can create a competitive playing field for sustainable products and, as such, moving companies in a different direction. International standards on producing x product sustainably would also level out the international market, so the consumer wouldn’t even have to think about the sustainable option. Public-private partnerships should get implemented to create a pre-competitive level playing field. True price should be a key discussion topic in board rooms and by company stakeholders. Partnerships with governments or interest organisations could work to set ambitious, science-based targets and goals together. It shouldn’t just be company goals, but joint goals that consider different stakeholders’ views. It’s not very original, but public-private partnerships are needed to create a pre-competitive level playing field. Read less

Education was a keyword that came back in all break out-groups. The lack of knowledge of consumers on the value of food, but also farmers lack knowledge on the true cost of producing their food. Consumers do not know much, they should arbitrate on the part of the budget to be devoted to food to better reward the producers. This education must be given from a young age so that they become aware of the whole production process up to the finished product offered to the consumer. You can for example link between city youth and rural youth, to create an enabling environment and stimulate inclusive,... Read more sustainable and just practices. Youngsters are the ones who can promote the new norms. It would help if people knew the true cost, e.g. through an application or innovative labelling. E.g. a climate change stamp on food, helping consumers to lower their GHG emissions. Producers underestimate the cost of labour when family members work with them in agricultural production. In addition, they do not account for certain resources such as water, even though they spend money to acquire it (installation and maintenance of wells for market gardening, for example); as a result, the true value of products is not really estimated. The impact of the environment is not always taken into account, and a lot of awareness-raising is needed for the actors to be aware of it and take it into account in the future. It is the role of NGOs to teach producers to make the right calculations, the cooperatives do not have enough power to influence the prices determined at the international level (in the exchanges). Related to education is the keyword transparency: increasing transparency in the food chains is crucial to reducing anonymity in supply chains. Very often it’s not a smiling happy person who picks up one’s food. Anonymity is one of the leading causes of large-scale collective action problems. This problem can be solved by creating shorter food chains e.g. with direct trade via CSA programs. Governments have also a key role in increasing transparency and creating local development of agriculture. Creating a competitive playing field for sustainable standards. Now, the consumer is offered a variety of fair trade and non-fair trade products in supermarkets. These products cannot compete. Governments can implement incentives and create competitiveness for sustainable products and as such move companies in a different direction. International standards on how to produce x product sustainably would also level out the international market, so the consumer wouldn’t even have to think about what the sustainable option is. A concrete solution that came forward to stimulate competitiveness for fair practices and incorporating hidden costs into food systems - implemented by governments and policymakers - is a tax reform that would reduce VAT for fair trade products. This reform should also include subsidising sustainable producers. Another solution is to work on public-private partnerships to create a pre-competitive level playing field. True price should be a key discussion topic in board rooms and by company stakeholders. Partnerships with governments or interest organisations could work to set ambitious, science-based targets and goals together. It shouldn’t just be company goals, but joint goals that take into account different stakeholders’ views. Multistakeholder collaboration is key to find systemic solutions. As for the responsibility of the different actors in the food chains, it is shared. It is difficult to say which actor is the most responsible, but governments have definitely a big role to put things in motion. We have to put the actors together and think from there. It is important to go together to make things change, pool ideas, find solutions that will have impacts on the food system. Enable managers from different sectors to work together. It is important that these sectors talk to each other in order to set up transversal food policies. Read less

The Dialogue on “True Cost of Food - Accessibility to Sustainable & Healthy Diets for Everyone” revolved around the question: How can we consider the environmental, social and human dimensions of value into food chains -- to make fair, healthy and sustainable food systems the new standard? The ‘True Cost of Food’ is the price of a product that accounts for all external costs—including environmental, social and economic-generated by the creation of food. Today, these environmental and social costs are more often than not included in the production chains of products. Costs not inc... Read moreluded in the market price of food are called ‘external costs’ or ‘hidden costs’. External costs can include ecological effects, environmental quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, animal welfare, social costs associated with labour, and public health effects. The UN World Food Organization FAO estimates that the annual hidden costs to the environment total $2100 billion. The hidden social costs are estimated to be even higher, at $2700 billion. In this dialogue, to which we invited mainly millennial participants from different countries, continents, and backgrounds, we discussed who should be responsible for covering the huge hidden costs of food production to have fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food chains. And more importantly, we discussed solutions to move us toward that. During the breakout session, the dialogue was structured around five main questions as anchor points for the discussion: What are the biggest barriers for the different stakeholders to commit to fair and sustainable practices? Could a ‘true cost’ food system, in which social and environmental costs are included, provide a global solution to unjust and unsustainable practices? What is the role for (smallholder) farmers, businesses, and retailers further up in the food chains, governments/authorities, and consumers to achieve a more inclusive and just food production system? Which role can or should specifically the younger generations play within their organisations to make this happen? How do we make sure all actors prioritise and commit to these environmental, social and human values, in a universal collaboration? We formulated subquestions to these main questions as guidance for the facilitators. The conversations were in practice more flowing, focused on finding solutions, and not that strictly structured. The last ten minutes of the dialogue we spent on formulating and summarizing the main solutions that had come up during the dialogue. Read less

One area of divergence was noted when one producer of marine products which can be grown in a small pond near to the home was asked about the sustainability of such a project , given the importance of maintaining the integrity of an eco system. While discussing the case shared by Bor Shang, one participant asked about the food source for animals in aquaculture. He was concerned about how foods for shrimps were produced as well as the way they enter the aquaculture system. Two representatives from Bor Shang responded to this concern, respectively. However, the stakeholders will keep thinking an... Read mored communicating about whether the choices for food materials and food production in aquaculture are sustainable in terms of the overall food system. Read less

Topic 1:The role of eco community in the context of food education Identify the role of HOI as an educator in its various platforms to ensure knowledge is disseminated and change ensured in both production and consumption. Examples: less meat , more plant based , no food waste, ensuring composting and regrowth , completing the food cycle. Ensure the whole community has access to this education and awareness of the need for sustainable food production and consumption. Topic 2: Solutions for a sustainable lifestyle Ensure that animals ( in this case, marine animals) bred for consumption are stil... Read morel part of an ecosystem. Particularly , how does the production of animal feed as a monoculture fit in with the principles as above? Topic 3: How could an eco education base connect more parties together to push forward “ Business for Good”? Even during the dialogue, questions were asked which showed different points of view and the importance of working together as teams successfully despite their differences. Bringing together different points of view shifts our thinking and makes solutions more effective. Topic 4 : Exploration of nature-friendly production methods. This was discussed , but as yet no conclusions were reached. Read less

Topic 1:The role of eco community in the context of food education Dorota Owen, GEN ambassador, mentioned that there are four sections to the education program of Global Ecovillage Network: economy, environment, social and culture. And food comes into all the four aspects. At the House of I, people love to grow, harvest, cook and eat together. It’s a social experience and part of the local culture. We all understand that people need to grow food and then to sell it within an environment. But it’s so much better to sell food locally. Because the minute you sell food nationally or internatio... Read morenally, you have to transport it , which costs energy - what we call ' food miles'. Topic 2: Solutions for a sustainable lifestyle Ms. Luo, a Zhanjiang Daily journalist, shared the case of using eco enzyme in order to create more zero-waste communities and villages in Hangzhou city of China. A detailed action plan regarding the use of eco enzyme is available now for more communities and villages throughout China. Then, Ms. Yang, who represented Bor Shang at the meeting, shared her ideas on solutions for a more sustainable lifestyle. First of all, Ms. Yang talked about a system which allows shrimps or fish to live together with vegetables or other fruit plants. This system can be practiced at people’s own homes. The first step is to build a pond. In this system, the feces of shrimps or fishes will become perfect fertilizers for the growth of those plants living above them. Then, Ms. Yang shared her opinions on the benefits of “home cooking”. Nowadays most people in China choose to eat outside in restaurants which is very likely to cause food waste. By practicing more “home cooking”, we can each make our own contributions to the pursuit of sustainable living and consumption. Topic 3: How could an eco education base connect more parties together to push forward “ Business for Good”? Outcomes: Ms. Fan Zhihong from Beijing Normal University said, “ What the House of I and Bor Shang has been doing together is of general significance. At the beginning, the House of I was only practicing sustainable development within its own community, including food education and exploration of sustainable food. Later, it formed a close partnership with Bor Shang since they share common values regarding sustainable business development. Now, both are working together to bring the concept of “sustainable development” to more communities, pushing forward interactions among different provinces as well as interactions between urban and rural areas, enhancing communications and collaborations among various sectors. Ms. Annie Yang, founder of the House of I, said, “The House of I hopes to practice on various platforms in a holistic manner. We tend to be more open and inclusive, respecting the unique cultural traditions of each industry, making contributions to the social values of sustainable development in a larger ecological chain.” Topic 4 : Exploration of nature-friendly production methods as well as sustainable consumption pattern. There were questions relating to this aspect which raised a lot of discussion and various points of view were presented. The effects of relying on a monoculture for animal feeds was raised, as well as overall changes to the planet such as climate change and rising sea levels , which will impact food production in future. Read less

1.Community-based nature education and kitchen culture 2.Exploration of the practice of Good Food Pledge on various platforms 3.Exploration of platforms that support “Business for Good” 4.Exploration of nature-friendly production methods as well as sustainable consumption pattern

Participants held diverse opinions on who should be engaged as “champions” or advocates for the double-burden of malnutrition. While some participants felt that high-profile individuals or young professionals would be best equipped to elevate these issues, others felt that youth working at the grassroots level, or “authentic” youth could better speak to the reality of the burden of malnutrition in all its forms, and should be encouraged and equipped to become champions for their own cause. Participants also differed in opinion on the utility and efficacy of the media and technology in ... Read moredisseminating information pertaining to the double-burden of malnutrition. While the media and technology in general were suggested as effective advocacy tools, they were also recognized as exclusionary to the most vulnerable and marginalized. Thus, many participants felt that alternative, and context-appropriate platforms should be pursued. Participants also held opposing positions on the best approach to advocacy for healthy diets. Some participants felt that advocacy efforts for healthy diets should not commence within a region until access to these healthy foods could be secured for the community, while others felt that advocacy efforts for healthy diets and knowledge sharing should commence even in the absence of a stable food system. Diverse opinions emerged on who should drive change. Some participants stated the need to educate families about growing healthier food crops and cooking nutritious foods at home, and that children should be the drivers of change via education through school or health clubs. However, other participants stated that industries should be educated and incentivized to produce and provide nutritious foods that are affordable. There were also opposing views on the stakeholders who should be prioritized. Some participants felt that local farmers should be given priority over mass producers within the food system, however, arguments were put forth for both stakeholders. Participants reasoned that supporting local farmers could reduce the carbon footprint of the food supply chain, and also minimize barriers from farm-to-table. However, participants also stated that the costs of local produce from small-scale farms might be higher, and that small farms may not be able to sufficiently support entire communities. Alternatively, mass producers were said to be capable of providing greater quantities of food and at lower cost, but the environmental costs and risks associated with supply-chain breakdown were said to be higher. Read less

Actions for Impact Participants said that governments should increase taxes on unhealthy food (especially ultra-processed foods), and encourage or support local production of healthy food to prioritize the public health interests of the community.  In addition to these reforms, participants felt that policies should be developed to ensure transparent branding and packaging of foods. Participants also agreed that school-aged children should be taught about nutritious foods, but that continuous education throughout the life-course would be critical to sustain the impact of these programs. In a... Read moreddition to nutrition education, participants felt that more should be done to educate and empower youth on farming opportunities. Farming was to seen as a means of both securing nutritious foods and economically empowering youth. Moreover, engaging and meaningfully involving different sectors and stakeholders, including the most vulnerable and marginalized, was recognized as a critical action by participants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the power structures within the food system, and the need to empower local people and systems became evident. To do this, participants said that the barriers to participate in agriculture should be minimized, and contract farming should be supported by the government. Participants also recognized the importance of strengthening the food value chain, conducting food safety tests before export and developing local agricultural systems to ensure a balanced diet can be achieved (i.e., nutrition-sensitive agriculture). Finally, participants spoke to the double-burden of malnutrition in the context of NCDs. Participants felt that more should be done to understand the local causes of NCDs, and that civil society organizations, and NCD departments (where available) should work to address these policies together. Assessing Progress Participants cited various ways in which progress towards food systems and the double-burden of malnutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic could be assessed: (1) the degree to which youth self-report feeling empowered to act on these issues, (2) the degree of collaboration between stakeholders on these issues and (3) the participation level of marginalized groups in decision-making spaces on these issues. Challenges Many challenges were discussed during the breakout sessions. Participants stated that before the COVID-19 pandemic the cost of food prices had increased, especially healthy and nutritious food compared to processed food, and that availability of nutritious food vs. processed food was also a challenge in some regions. However, lack of adequate education on how to combine locally available foods to maintain a balanced diet was also stated to be a challenge where food was/is available. Participants also recognized the role of cultural/power dynamics in access to food. For example, in some communities, economic decisions are made exclusively by the heads of household, and where there is gender inequality, girls may not be given priority for meals. Further, food waste and lack of adequate storage facilities for food products were also seen as challenges by participants. Some other challenges included: (1) belief systems surrounding food (i.e., that it is for satisfaction rather than nutrition), (2) the influence of aggressive modes of fast-food advertising on consumer purchasing behavior, and (3) the threats that forest degradation and rapid population expansion pose to food security. All of these were said to be exacerbated by poor involvement of locals in implementation and decision-making on interventions, and inadequate collaboration between sectors involved in food systems and malnutrition. Read less

Actions for Impact Participants stated that attention should shift from communicable to NCD risks and prevention, and extend beyond nutrition topics, to healthy environments and good sanitation. They also said that advocacy, mentorship and funding opportunities for youth could assist with this shift. Participants also mentioned that children should be taught to enjoy nutritious food through creative means (such as cartoons) to combat fast-food marketing, and agreed that governments should tax unhealthy/processed foods and harmful substances such as tobacco, and reduce taxes on traditional food... Read mores/healthy foods. In addition, participants recognized that consumers must be empowered to choose traditional rather than processed foods through other means. Improving primary school curriculum to integrate NCD information with nutrition and agriculture topics, was also said to be critical to teaching about NCDs and improving the overall health literacy of the community. At the university-level, it was recognized that male students purchase more fast foods than their female counterparts (as most young men do not cook in the African context), underscoring the importance of teaching young boys about nutritious foods, and eliminating the stigma around cooking.  Moreover, promoting gender equality, through the sharing of domestic and agricultural duties, and through encouraging men to attend health services with their wives and children ( to receive health information), were recognized as important actions. Participants also recognized the importance of teaching people living with non-communicable diseases (PLWNCDs) the specifics of their dietary needs and risk factors (such as overconsumption of animal protein) and providing this education at health institutions. The also discussed the impact of COVID-19 on jobs, and how opportunities in agriculture (I.e., growing food) could have supported families both economically and nutritionally.  Participants suggested that farmers be incentivized to cultivate nutritious (and staple) foods within the community, and use farming techniques that improve fruit and vegetable yields. Several other actions were put forward as ideas to impact the prevalence of NCDs: (1) employing best practices from other similar contexts, (2) gathering additional data on some of the most pressing issues to inform policymaking, and (3) involving youth and community leaders in creating policies on nutrition that support agriculture, and food production, processing, and marketing. Assessing Progress Participants suggested several ways to assess progress, such as using: (1) statistics on PLWNCDs, (2) surveys on consumer food purchase decisions, (3) shadow reporting, or policy-monitoring to hold policy-makers accountable, and (3) pre/post intervention data on key indicators. Participants noted that this data should be collected and shared transparently and accessibly, and monitoring and evaluation systems should be robust, especially within school programming. Participants also recommended engaging with research participants online, and conducting assessments on the effectiveness of data collection methods and implementation strategies. Challenges At the community level, tobacco use was said to deplete household income and divert funds from basic expenses like groceries. Behavior changes and belief systems were also stated to be challenges as information about healthier lifestyles might not be well-received in some communities, and there are some misconceptions around food additives/chemicals in Africa. Disparities in access to nutritious foods within communities, and large family sizes (due to lack of access to, or acceptance of family planning methods) were also said to be challenges to sufficient access to nutritious foods. At a systemic level, participants said that policies do not translate to the local-level, and community members find it difficult to share their experiences with influential stakeholders due to low confidence. Further, it was said that the right to food is not understood well enough for community members to hold their governments accountable.   Read less

Actions for Impact Participants felt that more funding should be provided for youth involvement in food systems, and that the government should do more to encourage multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder involvement (i.e. involvement of both those affected by food insecurity and those with the power and influence to change this) using existing resources and toolkits for guidance. Participants said that the capacity of youth to advocate for food systems should be leveraged and strengthened with agricultural training. Participants also stated that to impact youth engagement in strengthening food... Read more systems, information and knowledge shared on this topic should be easy to understand, accessible, and specific to diverse groups (such as pregnant and lactating women, children, etc.). They further explained that information critical across the life course should be communicated in the school curriculum, as students would be able to share this knowledge with their broader communities. Additional recommendations for education included: (1) teaching children to diplomatically interrogate the barriers in their setting, (2) expanding the school nutrition curriculum (to include meal preparation and context-specific food production and access), and (3) providing nutrition education to health care students and workers. Participants recognized the utility of technology and social media to market and communicate advocacy projects, and connect youth to one another. Participants recommended that future projects combine aims (I.e. agriculture promotion and youth engagement, or addressing the double-burden of malnutrition and economic empowerment). They also stated that strategies that have been proven to work at the local level should be scaled up or tested in other settings.  Finally, home gardens and livestock farming, linking to markets for surplus trading to enhance access to foods, and the language and positioning of the issue of hunger were all identified as areas for impact. In particular, participants noted that the issue of hunger should be positioned as a human rights issue, to mitigate the stigma/shame associated with hunger. Assessing Progress Participants noted that social media platforms could translate into data using back-end analytics and that google forms could then be used to enter profiles of engagers on social media. These profiles in turn could be used to help focus campaigns to identified key areas and motivate policy reform lobbying with policymakers. In addition, participants suggested that existing research institutions gather evidence on barriers to youth involvement at the local-level, and assess progress of new interventions. Challenges Participants recognized that communities often do not feel a sense of ownership of the programs that are brought in by ‘outsiders’; thus, two challenges to youth engagement in the food system will be to advocate for greater involvement of the local community in existing programming and to advocate for participatory approaches with incoming development organizations. Other challenges noted by the participants included: low visibility/understanding of the right to nutrition when compared to the right to health, lack of women’s empowerment in food systems, and the absence of platforms for youth to share their ideas on nutrition-related topics. Read less

Actions for Impact Participants felt that the burden of diet- and nutrition-related NCDs could be reduced through a de-colonization of the African diet; since the African diet was once predominantly fruits and vegetables, a diet centered on these foods (and additional nutrient dense crops such as soy) and attentive to healthy means of preparation, could significantly impact the triple-burden of malnutrition. Participants said that to encourage a shift to this diet, healthy foods would need to be made affordable, and unhealthy foods would need to be taxed. Food policies with health and environm... Read moreental goals were recognized as critical to achieving this, and participants recommended that youth groups working on NCDs and climate collaborate, and be consulted by policy-makers. However, participants noted that for youth to participate in policy-making processes, they would need more information about their rights, and current policies and legislation that impacts them. Participants also noted the importance of working with youth across the gender spectrum, different geographic settings, socioeconomic statuses and experiences. Participants stated that strengthening the relationship between consumers and (local) producers, and prioritizing agro-ecological practices (e.g. using ecological pesticides, supporting soil health, and developing agro-forests) could positively impact the triple-burden of malnutrition. Participants believed that greater diversity on farms would translate into greater nutritional diversity. Participants also felt that students, their parents, community members and farmers should be engaged in holistic health education, including physical activity and nutrition components (with modules for different diets, such as plant-based diets, and culturally appropriate ways of eating healthy) and that these individuals could cascade this education to the rest of the community. Participants recommended several actions for schools: investments in gardens, actions for improved school attendance, the addition of climate change topics to the curriculum, and the development of safe and engaging youth platforms (I.e. youth clubs and social media). Some participants also spoke about: improving the food environment in health care facilities, food processing and the need for safer regulations, and greater corporate social responsibility. Moreover, participants felt that actions should be multi-sectoral (including the private sector, agricultural sector, and education sector) and empower the consumer. Assessing Progress Participants felt that progress could be assessed through: (1) rates and trends of malnutrition in all its forms, (2) levels of dietary diversity at the household level​ and (3) changes to school feeding programmes. Participants also stated that assessments should involve youth, use both qualitative and quantitative methods, and would benefit from effective monitoring from planning to implementation. Further, they noted that organizations already doing work in the community should be accessible to youth for assistance and/or that youth could self-report behavioral changes in their eating habits. Finally, participants noted that capacity-building would take time and may be difficult to measure, and that the theory of change should be outlined early on and clearly so that successful efforts could be replicated. Challenges Participants mentioned that school feeding programmes, though beneficial for providing meals to children, do not contribute to food security of households. Additionally, participants cited the increase in processed food consumption as a challenge. Participants further explained that processed food consumption has risen in part because the responsibility of the food system has been given to corporations which are more concerned with profits than nutrition. Finally, participants noted the gap between the concepts of culture and nutrition, and the social challenges that might make eating healthy difficult. Read less

Many key conclusions emerged across breakout rooms sessions. Participants agreed that actions would need to be taken to tax unhealthy foods and make healthy foods more accessible/affordable. Participants also agreed on the need to establish connections between youth and policy-makers; participants felt that youth should be supported to advocate and develop solutions for their own cause. Participants further highlighted the need for funding and capacity-building for youth initiatives, and in particular, initiatives in agriculture. Another key conclusion to emerge across breakout room sessions w... Read moreas the importance of expanding the school curriculum. Participants felt that nutrition courses (where available) should include lessons on climate change, agriculture and cooking. However, participants also recognized the utility of life-long learning, and suggested that education/courses be provided beyond the classroom, within the community, or health care facilities. It was also suggested that these lessons be accompanied by the creation of gardens, as a practical application of the course material. Participants also agreed on the need to establish connections between different stakeholders along the food supply chain (I.e. consumers, producers, local farmers, etc.). They felt that this strategy could contribute to consumer knowledge and empowerment. Finally, shame and inequality were two major themes to emerge from the breakout room sessions. Participants felt that hunger was stigmatized within communities, and noted that this would be a challenge to overcome the burden of malnutrition. Participants also recognized inequality, and in particular, gender inequality, as a challenge to food access; it was stated that girls and women were not prioritized for meals, and that disparities in school attendance could also prevent girls from being empowered to participate in advocacy and agriculture through education. Read less