Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

Sr. Aftab Khan

International Consultant and founder of crvoices.co
Pakistán

1. In Chapter No. 1 it is important to mention loss of nutrition in food itself. Research in the US and Great Britain has revealed that the nutrition of fruits and vegetables has declined drastically in the last fifty years. Average calcium content declined 19 percent; iron 22 percent; and potassium 14 percent. Today one would have to eat eight oranges to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one orange.

2. In Chapter 2 under guiding principles the Voluntary Guidelines should include the correcting mechanism of pricing patterns in favour of healthy foods. According to a survey by World Bank International Comparison Program conducted in 176 countries for  657 food products, unhealthy foods are much cheaper than healthy foods in poor countries. Hence unhealthy calories are easy preference for poor communities. And these poor diets are considered as the No. 1 risk factor in the global burden of disease.

3. Paragraph 41 should add policy measures to correct patterns in favour of healthy foods and against unhealthy foods. This could be done by imposing taxes on unhealthy foods and markets corrections for healthy foods.

 

4. For policy measures it is also important to include research and analysis of existing nutrients in healthy foods (related to the point 1 mentioned above). Additionally, rural women and  women farmers are deficient in various nutrients despite their significant contribution in food production.  Policy measure should include targeting rural women and women farmers for improving their level of nutrition.

 

5, Voluntary Guidelines should rolled out  for communities, CSOs, government and private sector through organized and concerted programs.