GAIN Working Paper n°54: Leveraging Food Culture in India to Promote Nutritious and Sustainable Food Preferences
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.
Youth at the Heart of Food Systems Transformation: Reflections from ACT4FOOD’s Arusha gathering
In April 2025, we took part in the Act4Food Youth Leaders Workshop held in Arusha, Tanzania, a truly transformative experience that deepened our already strong convictions of the power and potential of young people to shape the future of our food systems. Organized by ACT4FOOD with support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), the workshop brought together 22 youth leaders from across the globe working under the ACT4FOOD banner, along with GAIN staff and additional food systems youth leaders from Tanzania.
Country Food Systems Dashboard Journey Webinar
, Global
This webinar will introduce the FSD 2024 competition winners, provide them with a platform to share their experiences utilizing the Food Systems Dashboard (FSD) in their work. The session will highlight how participants can leverage the FSD to access and analyse food systems data.
World Food Safety Day 2025
Every year, unsafe food makes 600 million people sick and claims 420,000 lives – including 125,000 children under five (World Health Organization, 2015). These aren’t just numbers; they’re a call to action. At GAIN, we are using science and evidence to change this. For World Food Safety Day, we are spotlighting 10 ways we’ve advanced food safety over the past year.
Incofin and GAIN back three more nutrition-focused enterprises to strengthen food systems in East Africa
Incofin Investment Management and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), through the Nutritious Food Financing Facility (N3F), have announced new investments in three pioneering food enterprises in East Africa: Soy Afric in Kenya, and Mkuza Chicks Ltd and Rainbow Haulage in Tanzania.
GAIN Student Challenge 2025
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The GAIN Student Challenge returns in November 2025 for its fourth edition! This unique, two-day challenge will bring together 50 students from across the Netherlands to co-develop, alongside peers from a Sub-Saharan African University, sustainable and innovative solutions to real-world food system challenges from one of GAIN’s projects.
Child Stunting And Overweight: Insights And Policy Recommendations From 12 Country Analyses
This brief shares an analysis of trends in stunting and overweight among children under five – two of the six Global Nutrition Targets set by the World Health Assembly (WHA) for achievement by 2025 – in 12 focus countries.
5th Global Conference of the One Planet Network Sustainable Food Systems Programme
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This global gathering will bring together governments, UNFSS national convenors, Rio Convention negotiators, civil society, private sector actors and more, to co-create practical, equitable, and integrated solutions across food, climate, biodiversity, and nutrition policies.