Mozambique: voice of a displaced entrepreneur in Cabo Delgado
Pemba, Mozambique – From the window of his house in Quissanga district, Cabo Delgado, Andrade Vitorino watched helplessly as his poultry farm collapsed due to strong winds and rains caused by cyclone Kenneth in 2019. But since the 2017, it is the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado province that affected his business and various economic activities, as well as the functioning of food systems in the province. “One day, a neighbour shouted that we were under attack, and we all ran away, leaving everything behind. A few days later I heard that everything had been burned down. Houses and everything, including my poultry,” said Andrade. Seated on a plastic chair and turning his back to his house made of clay, in one of Pemba's neighbourhoods, where he is starting new life he says, “I didn't have time to take anything. Just my documents. My house, my aviary and my dreams were left behind.”
Utilizing local food and preventing food waste in Indonesia’s School Meal Program
On 27 May 2025, the second episode of Bincang Pangan Sehat Lestari (Talk Series on Sustainable and healthy diets) brought together experts, policy makers, practitioners, and development partners to discuss the environmental perspectives on Indonesia’s school meal program (MBG). The seminar saw active participation, with attendees engaging in panel discussions. Over 30 Participants attended the seminar in person, and over 500 participants from sub national food agencies and NGOs attended it online.
GAIN Working Paper n°54: Leveraging Food Culture in India to Promote Nutritious and Sustainable Food Preferences
- 09/07/2025
Food culture is often understood as the practices, beliefs, and traditions surrounding food and eating within a particular society or community. It encompasses various aspects of traditional dishes and recipes, culinary techniques and cooking methods, mealtime rituals, social aspects, and symbolism. Food culture in a critical factor shaping food choices by influencing eating and dietary norms and habitual behaviours. Given this, it is essential to clearly define the dimensions of food culture (particular to a country or region) if one is to seek to leverage its profound impact on individuals and communities. This working paper thus explores the multidimensional nature of food culture in India, emphasising its deep-rooted connections to cultural identity, social bonding, and wellbeing.
369,000 children likely to die and 2.3 million at risk due to 44% cuts in global nutrition funding
Experts warn of the devastating toll of aid cuts on malnourished children and how it will impact generations to come—not just as huge human cost—but also a huge cost to development, economic growth, and future global prosperity.
GAIN Working Paper n°48-Improving Affordability of Nutritious Foods Through Packaging Innovations
- 10/03/2025
Packaging can keep foods safe; help make them appealing, convenient, and long-lasting; and convey key information about them to consumers. At the same time, packaging is an important contributor to food system waste and a major driver of certain foods’ prices in LMICs. As such, it is a sector ripe for creative disruption as part of food system transformation – to ensure safe, nutritious foods can reach the consumers who need them, in affordable forms and with limited negative environmental impact. This paper has considered in detail three packaging innovations that could be used to make nutritious foods more accessible to lower-income consumers: single-serve packaging, reusable packaging, and selling products in bulk without individual packaging.
Bringing together new and established food systems leaders to strengthen food security and nutrition strategies in Indonesia
A recent high-level event co-hosted by the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) brought together key stakeholders at Oakwood Suites Kuningan in Jakarta on December 10, 2024. This strategic discussion, which fostered collaboration among government, academia, and industry experts, aimed to contribute to addressing Indonesia's pressing food security and nutrition challenges.
Preserving Food and Profits in Kenya: Marikiti Cool Room Commissioned to Empower Traders and Reduce Food Waste
On 15th January 2025, the bustling town of Machakos in the lower eastern part of Kenya witnessed a transformative milestone in food systems in Kenya; the commissioning of the Marikiti Market Cool Room. This state-of-the-art facility was officially handed over by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to the County Government of Machakos in an event graced by H.E. Governor Wavinya Ndeti and GAIN Kenya Country Director, Ms. Ruth Okowa.
GAIN Working Paper n°46-Opportunities for repurposing waste products into nutritious foods
- 20/01/2025
Reducing food waste represents an important opportunity for shrinking the environmental footprint of food systems and supporting planetary health – and if this waste can be repurposed into nutritious foods, then it could also be a benefit for nutrition and human health. To understand the opportunities for repurposing waste products or byproducts into foods, this paper presents a rapid analysis based on desk research and key informant interviews. The analysis considers byproducts across four categories: fruit and vegetable residues, seeds and seed residues, other plant byproducts, and animal byproducts. The assessment considered availability, potential uses, consumer acceptability, food safety, nutritional quality, and feasibility.