Nutrition

Agrifood systems. On June 30, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA in Spanish) published a document, endorsed by 31 of its 34 member states, which agrees on the joint position of the countries of the hemisphere on the transformation of agrifood systems, healthy eating and safe food production. They also stress that the State must educate and inform about healthy diets, as well as develop prevention campaigns to safeguard public health, based on updated information and scientific evidence. This position will be presented at the United Nations Food Systems Summit, to be held in September 2021.

The document brings together 16 messages articulated under four axes. The first axis, the transformation of agrifood systems, proposes a transformation that balances increased production, food variety, health, safety and nutritional quality. It also considers it necessary to promote agricultural liberalization and reduce tariff and non-tariff restrictions. The second refers to consumer demand and nutritional aspects. In this regard, it argues that the State should educate and inform about healthy diets. It also considers the role of high quality proteins, carbohydrates (cereals and sugars), and fortified and biofortified foods to achieve a balanced and nutritious diet for human health.

The third axis highlights the circular economy and the reduction and reuse of agricultural production waste for the production of other goods. The fourth and final axis highlights the role of the Americas in food and nutrition security, although it argues that the Northern Triangle region of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) requires special attention in terms of food insecurity. “To bring a united voice of the Americas to the Food Systems Summit is to be able to be protagonists in this global exercise, because we are the ones who produce food for the world,” said Flavio Bettarello, as representative of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.

Next steps

In the document, the member countries adopted a perspective that takes into account the continent’s central role in achieving long-term environmental and food balances, since it is a key player in international food markets. The positions agreed upon in the text will be presented at the Food Systems Summit in September 2021. The countries also agreed to request special attention to food security in vulnerable regions of the continent, such as the Central American Triangle and the Caribbean. They considered that “food insecurity occurs in a context of limited access to social protection, depletion of natural resources and adverse impacts of environmental degradation and climate change”.