Reversing malnutrition rates: Stakeholders agree to draft voluntary guidelines - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

A multi-stakeholders concerned with reversing the growing trend of malnutrition under the aegis of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) wrapped up its 45th Session in Rome, with the task to formulate Voluntary Guidelines for Food Systems and Nutrition for approval in 2020, report NaijaAgroNet.

The guidelines are intended to be a reference document providing guidance to governments and other stakeholders on appropriate policies, investments and institutional arrangements needed to assure everyone has "available, affordable, acceptable and safe" diets in line with their beliefs and cultures.

CFS offers an inclusive platform that includes civil society and the private sector as well as governments an opportunity to voice views and develop policy recommendations and guidance on topics affecting food security and nutrition. Past outputs include landmark guidelines on land tenure and responsible investments in agriculture.

"Because of its inclusiveness, CFS is a powerful engine for combining political will and relevant knowledge towards zero hunger," said Mario Arvelo, CFS Chair and Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations' Rome-based food and agriculture agencies. "Building on the success of this session, we are all expected to renew our commitment as the range of participants expands to all potential partners, because eradicating hunger and all forms of malnutrition by 2030 can only be possible if everyone is on board."

Nutrition is a growing concern as the number of obese people in the world is rapidly catching up with the number of hungry. There are 672 million obese and 821 million hungry or malnourished people in the world, according to FAO's latest SOFI assessment.

Earlier this week, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva urged CFS to "step up" with strong guidance, emphasizing that "overweight and obesity must be a subject of public policies, not a private issue."

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EU, FAO agree to deepen strategic alliance, halve food waste

NaijaAgroNet:

The European Union (EU) Commissioner of Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis and FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva have agreed to ratchet up collaboration between the two organizations to address food waste, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance in supply chains, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In a new letter of intent signed between, FAO and the EU, both pledged to work closely together to halve per capita food waste by 2030, a goal established under the new Sustainable Development Goals global agenda. It also commits them to intensified cooperation on tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on farms and in food systems.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at FAO's Rome headquarters, Commissioner Andriukaitis said: "Food loss and waste represent an unacceptable, unethical and immoral squandering of scarce resources and increase food insecurity, while AMR marks a grave societal and economic burden," adding: "We are becoming more united, more efficient and more strategic in how we tackle these issues, and as such, this agreement should be celebrated."

Calling AMR growing global concern, Graziano da Silva said: "Unfortunately the use of antibiotics, including their use to promote growth, is already widespread."

He described FAO's vision that antibiotics and other antimicrobials should be only used to cure diseases and, in certain circumstances, to prevent epidemics. They should not be used for growth promotion, he said.    

Noting that food loss and waste is linked to many aspects of sustainable development, Graziano da Silva cited the importance of strong partnerships like that between the FAO and the EU in addressing the problem.

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