Every day, millions of workers in Bangladesh’s bustling garment factories often face challenges in accessing safe and nutritious food due to long working hours and affordability constraints. Bridging this gap, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) pioneered the implementation of workforce nutrition programme - Strengthening Workers Access to Pertinent Nutrition Opportunities (SWAPNO) since 2015. What began as canteen improvements, Fair Price Shops (FPS), and targeted micronutrient supplementation efforts in a handful of factories have now snowballed into a full-fledged national movement.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (FAO, 2024) highlights the dire state of hunger in Ethiopia – 59% facing moderate or severe food insecurity from 2021 to 2023. Young women are particularly vulnerable, Ethiopia’s National Food and Nutrition Strategy Baseline Survey (EPHI, 2023) states that 15% and 22% of women of reproductive age are underweight, in urban and rural settings respectively. The same report notes that only 7% meet minimum dietary diversity standards - as a result, 66% have some form of micronutrient deficiency.
The number of adults living with diabetes has more than doubled over the span of 30 years, rising from 7% in 1990 to more than 14% in 2022.1 An estimated 828 million adults worldwide currently live with diabetes, and if trends continue, this is projected to reach 1.3 billion by 2050.2
In a pre-Covid-19 world, depression and anxiety were estimated to cost the global economy more than USD1 trillion per year in lost productivity. From recent discussions with companies on workplace wellbeing we notice a recurring theme: if mental health was emerging as a key focus area, it now most certainly is a priority for employers, and especially so as the pandemic continues to impact the wellbeing of millions of people around the globe.
GAIN and the Consumer Goods Forum co-convened a meeting on Better Nutrition for a Healthier Workforce. The purpose was to review the evidence and, if warranted, to elevate the issue beyond the rather low-key profile it currently has. What is a workforce nutrition programme? We reviewed evidence from high- and low-income countries and from corporate headquarters to supply chain settings.
