A recent sub-regional symposia - Symposium on sustainable food systems and nutrition governance for healthy diets in Central Asia and Caucasus – was held from 24-26 April 2019 in Astana, Kazakhstan. During the event, several countries acknowledged the need to shift to more sustainable production patterns, including a shift away from monotonous cropping patters to more diverse ones in order to support the availability of diverse diets. Central to the debates was also the role of schools and the importance of healthy school environments that curb the current rising trend of childhood obesity. In this context marketing aimed at children, including digital marketing, was mentioned as a serious threat to nutritional health of adolescents. Participants called for region wide learning and data collection, as well as the establishment of regional food based dietary guidelines.