Local and traditional food markets for thriving ‘’smart cities’’
Local and traditional food retail markets are inherent in a city’s social fabric and the urban food environment. Millions of residents connect daily through food at local and traditional markets; and for many low income urban residents, this is their primary source of food. Thousands of tons of fresh, dried and on ice produce flow into these retail and wholesale-retail hybrid markets, bought by consumers directly and/or by food-outlets, restaurants, and last mile vendors.
Incofin and GAIN expand nutrition-focused investments in East Africa’s dairy sector
Incofin Investment Management and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), through the fund ‘Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F)’, announce two new investments in East Africa’s dairy sector: Mujuni Ventures Limited in Uganda and Narumoro Dairy in Kenya. These investments will improve access to nutritious foods for underserved populations, while strengthening local food systems and supporting smallholder farmers. With these additions, the Fund now counts ten active investments across Sub-Saharan Africa.
GAIN@COP30 Belém, Brazil
- , Global
The 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) will take place in Belém, Brazil, from Monday 10 to Friday 21 November 2025. The COPs are an annual opportunity for Parties and non-Party stakeholders to meet and shape our international response to climate change.
Harnessing Youth Potential For Transforming Pakistan’s Food Systems
- 22/10/2025
As Pakistan advances its URAAN Plan and National Food Systems Transformation Pathway, meaningful youth engagement will determine how inclusive that progress becomes. Despite strong national frameworks and growing youth-led innovation, young people remain largely outside formal decision-making. This policy brief sets out practical actions to institutionalise youth participation across governance structures—embedding the Scaling Up Nutrition Youth Network (SYN) within national and provincial coordination bodies, assigning youth advisory roles and quotas, and establishing a Youth in Food Systems Working Group to align mandates and financing. It further calls for building leadership pipelines through a Youth Food Policy Fellowship, integrating national programmes like Kamyab Jawan with food system priorities, and introducing digital accountability tools such as a Youth Engagement Scorecard. By embedding youth as architects of transformation, Pakistan can turn its demographic strength into a lasting engine for innovation, accountability, and resilient food systems.
Harnessing youth Potential for transforming Bangladesh’s food systems
- 21/10/2025
Bangladesh is redefining its path toward a more equitable, climate-resilient, and nutrition-secure future—and young people are at the centre of that journey. As the country advances major national strategies like the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy, this policy brief highlights how youth can move from community action to shaping national decision-making. It proposes creating formal youth roles in bodies such as the Bangladesh National Nutrition Council (BNNC) and District Nutrition Coordination Committees and strengthening cross-ministerial collaboration through a Youth in Food Systems Working Group. The brief also calls for expanding Department of Youth Development (DYD) programmes to include policy and governance, integrating food systems into university curricula, and building leadership pipelines through fellowships, mentorships, and digital participation tools. By positioning young people as active partners in governance, Bangladesh can cultivate a generation of leaders driving food systems transformation in line with the country’s long-term development agenda.
Hand in Hand, Data in Sight: How GAIN’s Digital Platform is Unlocking a New Era for Food Fortification in Nigeria
Every October, the world comes together to mark World Food Day, a moment to reflect on progress and renew our commitment to building food systems that nourish everyone. The 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” speaks to the power of collaboration. At GAIN Nigeria, we see this play out every day in our partnerships across governments, industry, and civil society. It is not just about what we do as an organization it is about what we achieve together. One powerful example of this is the Digital Fortification Quality Traceability Plus platform (DFQT+) platform, now transforming how fortified foods are monitored in Nigeria.
Opinion Brief: Why we work on Food, Nutrition and Development: Two Perspectives
- 15/10/2025
Hear from a professional at the start of her career in food systems transformation, and one near the end with decades of experience Key Messages • We choose to work in food systems because food is, at its core, a way to drive a fairer and safer future for the world. Food is not just fuel. It carries our culture, our traditions, our dignity, and our sense of belonging. To fix food is to unlock society’s potential. Over 3 billion people globally can’t afford to eat healthily right now. This widens inequities and keeps the vulnerable trapped in cycles of poor health. • Food systems transformation touches every aspect of our lives and cannot be achieved in isolation. It spans agriculture, health, trade, finance, education, environment, and social protection, and it relies on people all along the supply chain, from farmers and traders to processors, retailers, policymakers, and consumers. Few other areas of work demand such breadth. That is why transforming food systems requires collaboration across sectors directly and indirectly linked to food, and why it offers opportunities for people with different skills, perspectives, and passions to contribute. • The 2025 World Food Day theme calls for greater collaboration across sectors and silos to transform agrifood systems for people and planet. This is a huge part of the work that must be done, and we remain hopeful that solidarity and compassion will win over more selfish politics. At GAIN we work hard to bring disparate voices across the food system together, for real transformation.
Ultra-Processed Foods: Time for a More Nuanced Conversation
‘Ultra-processed food’ (UPF) has been the nutrition buzzword of the past few years, making its way from scientific research into headlines and policy debates. These foods, commonly defined as industrial food formulations made with ingredients rarely used in home cooking, make up a shockingly large share of diets and have been associated with various negative health effects – but their role remains complicated and contested. At the recent Stockholm Food Forum, I joined this debate, participating on a panel discussion on the topic.