Is your nutrition balanced? Do you know how to have a balanced diet to meet your nutritional needs? Nowadays, more and more people are paying attention to healthy diet and nutrition issues. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also designated the theme of World Food Day on October 16 this year as “Our actions are our future. Health diets for a zero-hunger world”, which tells and reminds us that we are now at a critical moment of eliminating hunger and achieving food and nutrition security for all.

The 2019 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World reveals that, after decades of steady decline, the trend in world hunger – as measured by the prevalence of undernourishment – reverted in 2015, remaining virtually unchanged in the past three years at a level slightly below 11 percent. More than 820 million people in the world are still hungry today. Equally alarming is that we are having a larger obese and overweight population of 830 million, including over 670 million adults and 120 million boys and girls (5–19) who are obese and over 40 million children under five who are overweight. Undernourishment, overweight and obesity, as well as micro-nutrient deficiency have formed the triple burden of nutrition across the world. As a result of globalization, urbanization and income growth, unhealthy diets have overtaken smoking as the world’s number one risk factor for disability and death worldwide. 

Driven by economic growth and changes in dietary pattern, China is not exempt of the triple burden of nutrition. Take the overweight and obesity scenario in China for example, Lancet reported in 2016 that China was home to the largest population of the obese, including 43 million male and 46 million female citizens. Statistics from China’s National Statistics Bureau and National Health Commission also indicates that from 1992 to 2015, the overweight rate in China had increased from 13% to 30% and the obesity rate had risen from 3% to 12%.

At present, China’s agriculture is exploring avenues to better meet the needs of consumers for safe, nutritious and healthy food. Agricultural production is transformed from food security oriented to health and nutrition oriented; food supply is transformed from fulfilling the general demand to meeting customized requirement; and food processing is transformed from providing enough and safe food to serving healthy diet. In order to meet the demands of different regions and groups, the Chinese government has initiated the preparation of the Food and Nutrition Development Strategy for China (2021-2035), which would ensure the quantity and quality of food nutrition supply, guide the development of food systems and food supply chain, and promote the coordinated development between population growth and food production, consumption and nutrition. The outline is expected to encourage the Chinese people to form reasonable dietary pattern, improve physical fitness, and enjoy health and well-being.

In this context, the International Conference on Food and Nutrition was held in Beijing from October 25 to 26, 2019. At the time when the Chinese government is preparing the Food and Nutrition Development Strategy for China (2021-2035), the conference objectively analyzed the basic conditions of China's food and nutrition transformation and development, scientifically identified new opportunities and new requirements through international academic exchanges and experience sharing, which provided suggestions for the scientific planning of the Outline.

As a supporting organization for this conference, FAO sent experts from different departments in Heaquarters to participate in the discussion and share expertise and international experience. Vincent Martin, FAO Representatives in China and North Korea, put forward policy recommendations on nutrition in light of China's national conditions and the UN Sustainable Development Agenda; Anna Lartey, Director of the FAO Nutrition and Food Systems Division, delivered a keynote speech on “Nutrition-sensitive Agriculture and Food Systems”; Marco Sanchez Cantillo, Deputy Director of the FAO Agricultural Development Economics Division, analyzed the “The Future of Food and Agriculture: Pathways to 2050 with a Lens on China”; Carlo Cafiero, Project Manager of the FAO Statistics Division, shared “What Data are needed to Guide Policy Development for Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition Policy in China".

The conference was sponsored by China’s State Food and Nutrition Consultant Committee (SFNCC), and organized by Institute of Food and Nutrition Development of MARA, National Institute for Nutrition and Health of CDC, Nutrition and Health Research Institute of COFCO, Chinese Nutrition Society, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health of CAS, and Beijing Institute of Nutritional Resources. It also received support from FAO and the International Food Policy Research Institute.