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Main findings
This dialogue focused on the role of nutrition science in food system transformation. Participants felt that the food system presented challenges but also presented opportunities for meaningful change. However, sectors need to be aligned in their vision and understanding of the required changes. Leaders in food system change need to consider whether actions are adjustments, reformative or transformative. Five key recommendations came from the discussion groups. They are outlined below. 1. Develop a consistent understanding of terms and goals (e.g. food system; nutrition science; nutrition prin
... Подробнееciples, goals of food system transformation) and clearly articulate them. • Human rights should be the centre of all discussions and an equitable food system is the goal. • The shared vision of a food system needs to encompass health, equity and environmental sustainability. This vision should also acknowledge that radical transformation may not be comfortable, and not all will win. • All sectors of the food system need to understand the definitions and goals of food systems, and they need to be owned by everyone. Outcomes will suffer if there is not a shared vision. • A better vision is needed for Australian agriculture as we are currently not ‘nutrition secure’ (see topic 4, below). • Nutrition science should include foods, dietary patterns and be aligned with broader frameworks such as ecological nutrition, rather than just focusing on nutrient composition. 2. Consider the types of evidence used to inform policies and food system transformation • Policy actions that focus on nutrients, foods, and diets need to be aligned and considered within a much broader food system framework that includes ecology and sustainability. • The ‘hierarchy of evidence’ used in policy decisions to rank the types of evidence needs to be reconsidered. For example, remove parts of the hierarchy of evidence that are only relevant to clinical studies so that it is more relevant to food systems. We also need to think about who the current hierarchy benefits e.g. food industry may benefit from emphasis on clinical trials, which may not have benefits for public health. • Consider how we frame and assess evidence, and subsequently incorporate this into nutrition policies and guidelines needs to be further analysed. Approaches used need to be fit-for-purpose and enable the inclusion of sustainability messages and equity. • Nutrition policies need to be more closely aligned and embedded in other sectoral policies, e.g. agricultural policies. 3. Foster inclusion in food system debates and policies • Consider how the debates can shift to focus less on the global north. • Marginalized groups, farmers and primary producers deserve greater recognition at the policy table and global dialogues. • Practitioners and researchers need to communicate and work together more. • Evidence and stories from different sectors need to be combined to create change. • The nutrition discipline needs to encompass and be more informed by other sectors in the food system, e.g. agriculture. • Transformation in the food system is also political and social. Thus, food system transformation requires strong engagement from all sectors, including civil society and respectful inclusion of Indigenous knowledges. Similarly, nutrition science is multidisciplinary and in order to make change, nutrition scientists need to incorporate all of these elements. 4. Address power dynamics in the food system • Power and political determinants must become more prominent in discussions of addressing the food system. Very few events and reports are up-front about how the food system has evolved in the context of corporate power, and thus we fail to hold corporations accountable and truly address the harms associated with industrial food production. 5. Solutions must be systems-conscious • The food industry works in an integrated way, and so must be regulated in a globally coordinated fashion to protect health and the environment. • NOVA can be a helpful tool for us to regulate food industry because it encapsulates not just technical or reductionist components but is inherently conscious of social drivers and holistic dietary patterns. • Utilising multinational organisations to work with industry and utilising some of their power may be a way forward – so that governments and advocates for sustainability and health are better united. Including the voice of the consumer at the forefront may help. • Technical solutions could disincentivise the creation and implementation of more holistic/ transformative solutions. But pushing for transformative change may lead to silver bullet solutions, and transformative change is not necessarily how change happens in reality. Скрыть
Направления деятельности: 1, 2
Ключевые слова: Data & Evidence, Environment and Climate, Governance, Human rights, Policy, Trade-offs