Urban Food Actions Platform

Some dietary and food recommendations are considered more sustainable and protective of human health and the environment.

The challenge lies in putting the recommendations into practice.

Discover ways and means of incorporating more sustainable and nutritious diets. For instance, reorienting school meal programmes and other institutional food services (from hospitals to elderly homes) to provide nutritious and safe food that contribute to healthy diets; developing regulatory and voluntary instruments to promote sustainable diets and address associated with poor diets and obesity involving private and public companies, using marketing, health promotion and communication programmes; developing and labelling policies/schemes; using economic incentives or disincentives.

Related Resources

Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food production and ecosystem management, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
The World Economic Forum together with the Food Action Alliance convened the international community for an action-oriented discussion centred on leading flagship initiatives that hold the potential to realize regional and country-led actions for food systems. From global food systems thinking to local impact, the meeting focused on the global demand for healthy and nutritious food...
Denmark, Italy, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), United Kingdom (Europe)
2022 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
One of the most urgent public health problems in society is overweight and obesity . Given the complexity, multitude and diversity of their determinants, overweight and obesity require a systematic approach, rather than interventions focusing only on individual behaviour, and local governments have an important role in developing and fostering...
Netherlands (Kingdom of the) (Europe)
2022 - Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), VoedingsJungle, Netherlands Working Group on International Nutrition
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Directories
Today consumers’ behaviors are not only determined by their knowledge, motivation or sensibility, but also their physical and social environment. That is the reason why a multidisciplinary study to better understand the effects of what is called the “food landscape” on food behaviors has been conducted. Specifically, the project was...
France (Europe)
2021 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food production and ecosystem management - Articles
This article shows the results of a two-year pilot study carried out by the University of Sussex on city allotments in Brighton and Hove.The aforementioned study demonstrates the value of urban food production and how it could be used to reduce food deserts by growing food “closer to where people are” while...
United Kingdom (Europe)
2021 - Miranda Bryant
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food loss and waste - Directories
The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership is a non-profit organisation helping people learn to cook, eat a healthy diet, and grow their own food and waste less food. This organization, whose aim is to connect and inspire individuals, community groups and organisations, offers a large catalogue of resources about food issues, divided into food...
United Kingdom (Europe)
2021 - The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition - Guidelines
This handbook is addressed to Parliamentarians to support them in adopting domestic legislation, approving budget allocations, and overseeing public-sector policies towards transforming food systems that deliver healthy diets for all. It can also help municipalities develop policies for sustainable diet and nutrition for their cities.
(Global coverage)
2021 -
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
Urbanization is changing the face of malnutrition. The ways in which children and their families buy, cook, and eat their food are affected by the quality and influences of the physical, social, and economic conditions around them. Cities house the majority of the world’s population and are growing exponentially, particularly in...
Netherlands (Kingdom of the), Philippines (Global coverage)
2020 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity - Policy Briefs
The research work upon which this policy brief is based outlines the rationales underlying food choices in lower middle class South African households that are marked by the absence of a biological father and/or a lack of material resources. What is the role of food in these households and how...
South Africa (Africa)
2020 - Marie Walser, Yanga Zembe, Chelsie Yount-André
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food supply and distribution - Academic Literature
ONLY IN FRENCH   This book focuses onchanges in diet in the towns of Africa, Latin America and Asia. Rather than a global convergence towards one and the same way of eating in town, they show how the inhabitants and landscapes of towns generate new and original forms of food from multiple...
Algeria,Burkina Faso,Cameroon,China,Congo,Côte d'Ivoire,India,Indonesia,Malaysia,Mexico,Morocco (Global coverage)
2020 - Audrey Soula, Chelsie Yount-André, Olivier Lepiller, Nicolas Bricas, Jean-Pierre Hassoun
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
Cities are not prepared for catastrophic events (increasing with climate change) and the food system disruptions they cause. Here you can find a series of Food System Resilience Assessments of cities from the US.
(North America)
2020 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food production and ecosystem management - Reports & Case Studies
The 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health brought together 37 world-leading scientists from across the globe to answer this question: can we feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries? The answer is yes.The EAT-Lancet Commission Brief for African Cities describes how the Commission’s report...
(Africa)
2019 - Coll.
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition - Articles
In this 4-page brief on democratising good food, the Nordic Food Policy Lab of the Nordic Council of Ministers and Hivos will answer the following questions: Who are the people behind sustainable, inclusive and healthy gastronomy initiatives around the world? How do these frontrunners operate? What results are they achieving? What can we learn...
(Global coverage)
2019 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
Sustainable, inclusive and healthy gastronomy is emerging as a potent driver of food system change. Gastronomy refers to the art of cooking and enjoying food. It taps into the less rational, more creative, emotional and inspirational dimensions of food, to bring about changes in production and consumption patterns. Gastronomy initiatives...
Bolivia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, South Africa (Global coverage)
2019 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
Levels of obesity in most cities are growing fast, as is the associated healthcare burden. Urban food provisioning – the way people in cities access food – is a significant part of the problem, but urban authorities around the world are starting to take a new approach; one that combines...
(Global coverage)
2019 - Professor Corinna Hawkes,
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
C40, Arup and the University of Leeds have collaborated on research and analysis to better understand consumption-based emissions in cities, to explore their scale and to consider what cities can do to reduce them.
(Global coverage)
2019 - C40 Cities, Arup & University of Leeds
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Frameworks
The FAO Framework for the Urban Food Agenda serves as a corporate strategy to address emerging calls from countries, responding to demands for a multi-sectorial, multi-stakeholder and multi-level approach to food insecurity and malnutrition across the rural-urban continuum. The Framework explains why FAO is in a unique position to influence...
(Global coverage)
2019 - Coll.
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
The menu of actions contains over 70 examples of policies and programmes that city governments have implemented to improve food security and nutrition by making healthy and nutritious food more accessible, desirable, and affordable. The resource helps meet the need for more shared learning and guidance on policies and pro­grammes...
Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Mozambique, Netherlands (Kingdom of the), United Kingdom, United States of America (Global coverage)
2019 - Jess Halliday, Laura Platenkamp, Yota Nicolarea
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Articles
ONLY IN FRENCH Advocacy of Armand Béouindé, mayor of the Burkinabe capital, for African cities to engage in a fight against junk food. Faced with the observed deterioration in the nutritional and safety quality of food, the community can get involved.
Burkina Faso (Africa)
2019 - Armand Béouindé
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
Our planet is facing important challenges in the context of climate change and population growth that question its capacity to feed people in the future. For this reason, it is key to transform or enhance food systems at global and local levels, so as to ensure the multidimensional goal of sustainability. In...
Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda (Global coverage)
2018 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
Strategies to fight hunger and early warning systems often focus on identifying food crises rather than longer-term trends, and concentrate on rural areas. Data on the food and nutrition security situation of West Africa’s growing urban population is scarce and fragmented. Using geo-referenced information available in the Demographic and Health...
(Africa)
2018 - van Wesenbeeck, C
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
The Indonesia Food Change Lab started in 2015 as a multi-stakeholder platform to address the deadlock between proponents of safety and public order on the one hand, and access to healthy, fresh food and income-generating activities for low-income citizens on the other. Thanks to these efforts, the Indonesia Food Change...
Indonesia (Asia and the Pacific)
2018 -
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Directories
This website presents inspiring initiatives in the world encouraging cities transition towards sustainable food systems. These initiatives can be driven by NGOs, the private sector or local governnemts.
(Global coverage)
2018 - Coll.
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
The Melbourne’s food policy, launched in 2011, led to the creation of three tools: 1) the Food City guidelines for coordinated actions amongst the actors; 2) the Community Food Guide providing information about food access programmes and services; and 3) the advisory group providing guidance for the implementation of the...
Australia (Asia and the Pacific)
2018 - FAO, EStà, City of Melbourne
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
In the framework of its urban food policy, the Municipality of Tel Aviv, along with civil society groups, launched a project of nutrition improvement within scouts’ camps while promoting local recipes and products and raising awareness of the children and their parents about healthy food.
Israel (Near East)
2018 - FAO, EStà, Municipality of Tel Aviv
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Articles
Today SNV publishes a report that explores the malnutrition situation in the urban environment and explores interventions that can be used to address it. Urbanisation is expected to put an increased pressure on the global food systems. As the world’s cities expand, they are becoming home to an increasing number...
(Global coverage)
2018 - SNV
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food supply and distribution - Articles
Who forages and why? A team of researchers across a variety of Baltimore-based organisations carried out an exhaustive survey to identify what, why, and, for the first time, how much people foraged in the city. This study puts this activity on the radar of urban planners and raises questions regarding...
(Global coverage)
2018 - Albane Gaspard
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
This report marks the first stage of AFSUN’s goal of expanding knowledge about urban food systems and experiences of household food insecurity in secondary African cities. With regard specifically to studies of food security in urban Malawi, the report builds on two previous AFSUN studies. The first was conducted as...
Malawi (Africa)
2018 - Liam Riley, Emmanuel Chilanga, Lovemore Zuze and Amanda Joynt
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Methodology and Training Materials
This City Region Food System (CRFS) toolkit provides guidance on how to assess and build sustainable city region food systems. It includes support material on how to: define and map your city region; collect data on your city region food system; gather and analyse information on different CRFS components and...
(Global coverage)
2018 - FAO
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
This Catalogue highlights the best practices identified in the 6 metropolises associated with MADRE, in terms of farmers’ innovation, social innovation, consumer innovation, academic research, territorial innovation and transnational innovation. It aims at: - Mapping the key stakeholders of urban and peri-urban agriculture and connecting them at the Mediterranean level...
(Europe)
2018 - Interreg Med MADRE
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
The world is at an unprecedented point in the sustainable development journey. For the first time in history extreme poverty, those living on less than $1.90 per day, has fallen below 10%. However, two years after the global commitments were adopted in New York, and after years of steady decline,...
(Global coverage)
2018 - Seidenbusch, E.; Villamarin, F; McMahon, D.; Husain, S.; Islam, S
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
This brief sets out four priority areas where policies concerning urban diets and nutrition are in particular need of change: governance of urban food systems, wider aspects of urban governance, policies relating to the informal retail sector and addressing the triple burden of malnutrition, including overweight and obesity. While most...
(Global coverage)
2017 -
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Articles
Diets are changing with rising incomes and urbanization— people are consuming more animal-source foods, sugar, fats and oils, refined grains, and processed foods. This “nutrition transition” is causing increases in overweight and obesity and diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Urban residents are making the nutrition transition fastest—...
(Global coverage)
2017 - Corinna Hawkes, Jody Harris, Stuart Gillespie
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Frameworks
In a constantly urbanizing world, city governments have come to play a crucial role in urban food policies. From among the challenges facing cities, ensuring food security for their residents is vital, and this must be achieved keeping in mind both the balance to be found between urban and rural...
(Global coverage)
2017 - R. Fages, N. Bricas
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Academic Literature
Urbanisation in low and middle-income nations presents both opportunities and immense challenges. As urban centres grow rapidly, inadequate housing and the lack of basic infrastructure and services affect a large and growing proportion of their population. There is also a growing body of evidence on urban poverty and its links...
(Global coverage)
2017 - Cecilia Tacoli
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
Although there is widespread food availability in urban areas across the Global South, it is not correlated with universal access to adequate amounts of nutritious foods. In Southern Africa, empirical research has uncovered extensive food insecurity at the household scale in cities with an abundance of food.1 An urban household...
Malawi (Africa)
2017 - Emmanuel Chilanga, Liam Riley, Juliana Ngwira, Chisomo Chalinda and Lameck Masitala
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
In 2009 the Italian Association for Organic Agriculture (AIAB) launched the first bio-district in Italy. A bio-district is a geographical area where farmers, citizens, tourist operators, associations and public authorities enter into an agreement for the sustainable management of local resources, based on organic principles and practices, aiming at the...
Italy (Europe)
2017 - Salvatore Basile
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
In the pages that follow, you’ll read about the City of New York’s efforts to support a more sustainable, accessible, nutritious and equitable food system for communities throughout New York City. We continue to work to reduce the Meal Gap and food insecurity rate in all boroughs, along with prioritizing...
United States of America (North America)
2017 - The City of New York
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Local Policies
This report outlines a needs-based strategy requested by the Board of Health in April 2016 to apply a health equity lens to assess the eligibility of interested independent schools for municipal student nutrition program funding. Recommended is an objective, clear and comparable assessment method, similar to what is used for...
Canada (North America)
2017 - Municipality of Toronto
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
At its 42nd session in October 2015, the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) requested the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) to prepare a report on Nutrition and Food Systems, to be presented at CFS 44 in October 2017. This topic is highly relevant...
(Global coverage)
2017 - Committee on World Food Security (CFS), High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE)
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Directories
GAIN is commetted to sharing its learnings by publishing a variety of knowledge products, mainly about how food systems can improve diets for the most vulnerable . The "Reports and publications" section includes advocacy and policy documents, conference presentations and proceedings, peer-reviewed publications, programme, and project documents, as well as...
(Global coverage)
2016 - Working Group on International Nutrition
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
In 2015, the European Year for Development, the EU Commission decided to finance the Food Smart Cities for Development (FSC4D) project, which involves 12 urban areas over three continents which coordinated food policies and international cooperation activities until the end of 2016. The project is led by the city of...
(Global coverage)
2016 - Food Smart Cities for Development
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
Current food systems jeopardize current and future food production and fail to nourish people adequately. The starting point for this report is the observation that if we are to address the multiple social, health and environmental challenges caused by, and affecting food systems,global populations need to move towards dietary patterns...
(Global coverage)
2016 - Carlos Gonzalez Fischer, Tara Garnett
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Policy Briefs
Food is made up of nutrients. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are needed only in small amounts. Macronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein and fat are needed in larger amounts. The body cannot function properly if one or more nutrients are missing. A healthy and balanced diet provides foods in...
(Global coverage)
2016 - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Social and Industrial Food Service Institute
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
Urban markets contribute to massive opportunities and benefits. They can play an important role for the sustainable development and revitalization of a city by promoting: job creation and employment, tourism (related to gastronomy traditions), local commerce, healthy life styles, revitalization of public space, social and cultural “services", and an environmental...
France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain (Europe)
2015 - Coll.
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
This document is a companion guidance document to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact including the Framework for Action. Three primary purposes, all equally important, gave direction to the process of gathering good practices and compiling them in a way that complements the Pact and Framework for Action: 1. The...
(Global coverage)
2015 - Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Working documents
This paper is focused on how agriculture – including the natural and cultural resources that sustain people in and around cities, and even in remote rural areas – provides important and reciprocal benefits to the sustainable development of both rural and urban communities (see definition of sustainable agriculture in glossary). The intended audiences are sustainable...
(Global coverage)
2014 - Thomas Forster, Arthur Getz Escudero
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Methodology and Training Materials
The Right to Food is enshrined within the South African Constitution. However, despite there being sufficient food available within the country, this right is not being met. Both nationally and within the City of Cape Town there are high levels of household food insecurity. The nature of food insecurity is...
South Africa (Africa)
2014 - Jane Battersby, Gareth Haysom, Godfrey Tawodzera, Milla McLachlan, Maya Marshak, Florian Kroll, Jonathan Crush
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
A number of initiatives are being supported by statutory and non-statutory organisations. These include food banks, food kitchens, community food-buying schemes, school breakfast clubs and lunch clubs for older people. They represent a very powerful response to hunger in our communities. Food banks and other forms of emergency food aid provision...
United Kingdom (Europe)
2013 - Greater London Authority
Governance and planning, Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food production and ecosystem management, Food supply and distribution, Food loss and waste - Reports & Case Studies
The report is primarily a descriptive analysis of the food system serving Bristol. In addition, the report gives some global context, and in later chapters there is a discussion of resilience in relation to inputs, outputs and threats. It includes an analysis of the positive powers that Cities have in...
United Kingdom (Europe)
2011 - Joy Carey
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Social and economic equity, Food supply and distribution - Reports & Case Studies
Street and snack foods can be found in nearly every corner of the world and have been on sale for thousands of years. Such foods are inexpensive, provide a nutritional source based on traditional knowledge, mostly follow the seasonality of farm production and thus allow for variation in consumer diets,...
(Global coverage)
2011 - Martin Hilmi, Peter Fellows
Sustainable diets and nutrition - Reports & Case Studies
ONLY IN FRENCH Street food or food sold on the street plays a growing socio-economic role in all African cities. This mode of feeding, which has become a phenomenon of modern societies, enables more than 80% of urban populations to meet their nutritional needs, generates income that enables many households to...
Burkina Faso (Africa)
2008 - Juliette T COMPAORE, Pr Nicolas BARRO, Zéphirin BELEMSIGRI, Charlotte KOMKOBO, Mamadou BELEM, Caroline YAMEOGO
Sustainable diets and nutrition, Food production and ecosystem management - Guidelines
The overall objective of the Urban and Peri-Urban Food and Nutrition Action Plan is to promote health and quality of life through an integrated, comprehensive food and nutrition policy, in local communities. The benefits of increasing the amount and distribution of locally grown food, especially vegetables and fruit include: environmental,...
(Europe)
2001 - Coll.
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