A critical element to improve children’s health and reduce child malnutrition is changing behaviours and practices around maternal and infant nutrition. In Indonesia, mothers are generally aware that exclusive breastfeeding for six months is best for their child, and that they should continue to breastfeed for a further eighteen months with complementary foods.
I go to many meetings where the term "food system transformation" is bandied about. Sometimes the term goes unquestioned - for some people it has entered into the rarefied atmosphere of development jargon. But increasingly (thank goodness) the question is being asked: what does food system transformation mean? So what is the answer?
Pellagra. Beriberi. You likely haven’t heard of these debilitating diseases: they were virtually eradicated more than 70 years ago by adding essential vitamins and minerals to commonly consumed staple foods and condiments. One of the most common forms of fortification, salt iodisation, is now practiced in more than 160 countries and is credited with preventing 750 million cases of goitre over the past 25 years.
The Consumer Goods Forum, which brings together 400 consumer goods companies and retailers, has joined forces with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to encourage employers to take action on improving the nutritional outcomes for their workers and employees.
Most people, including low-income households in developing countries, buy their food from markets, both formal and informal. Therefore, it makes sense to treat them as consumers. At GAIN, our aim is to enable these consumers to improve their diets through increasing consumption of nutritious and safe foods, because a good diet is central to tackling all forms of malnutrition.
Every year UNICEF issues an authoritative review called the “State of the World’s Children”. GAIN is proud to have worked closely with UNICEF on its 2019 report issued in London yesterday. The focus of this year’s report is on nutrition and diets. The State of the World’s Children last addressed malnutrition 20 years ago, and much has changed since then.
UNICEF released today its flagship report "State of the World’s Children 2019", which – for the first time in many years - focuses on children, food and nutrition. GAIN actively contributed to several sections of the report, particularly chapter 2, which looks at adolescent diets in different parts of the world.
In October, over 80 cities came together in Montpellier, France to review implementation of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP). An increasing number of cities are signing the Pact (it has currently over 200 signatory cities), with 25 signing during the meeting.
On World Egg Day 2019, GAIN highlights the value and benefits of eggs for all. Providing a high-quality source of protein, eggs are among the most nutritious foods on earth. Their nutritional value is undeniable to people of all ages. For infant and children, eggs are among the best food sources as they contain nutrients which help brain development and physical growth.
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is pleased to announce the launch of "A menu of actions to shape urban food environments for improved nutrition", a reference resource developed in cooperation with the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP) and the RUAF Global Partnership.
