Nutrition Opportunities Worldwide’s Post

Unacceptable use of substandard metrics in policy decisions which mandate large reductions in animal-source foods "Many recent very influential reports, including those from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Risk Factor Collaborators, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health, and the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, have recommended dramatic reductions or total exclusion of animal-source foods, particularly ruminant products (red meat and dairy), from the human diet. They strongly suggest that these dietary shifts will not only benefit planetary health but also human health. However, as detailed in this perspective, there are grounds for considerable concern in regard to the quality and transparency of the input data, the validity of the assumptions, and the appropriateness of the statistical modelling, used in the calculation of the global health estimates, which underpin the claimed human health benefits. The lessor bioavailability of protein and key micronutrients from plant-source foods versus animal-source foods was not adequately recognised nor addressed in any of these reports. Furthermore, assessments of bias and certainty were either limited or absent. Despite many of these errors and limitations being publically acknowledged by the GBD and the EAT-Lancet authors, no corrections have been applied to the published papers. As a consequence, these reports continue to erroneously influence food policy decisions and international dietary guidelines, such as the World Wildlife Fund’s Livewell Diet, and the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023." https://lnkd.in/dz8xEEgF

Health challenges from food insecurity and poor nutrition are widespread in Africa. Multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder approaches with various initiatives have been proposed to address systemic challenges . However, progress has been limited, highlighting the need to apply context-specific, human-centered solutions and entrepreneurial thinking. To confront food security challenges amidst population growth and climate crisis, a non-traditional approach is necessary. As an emerging entrepreneurial thinker with a solid academic and research background in health and nutrition, I believe that innovative approaches are crucial in tackling these issues. Health, nutrition, and food security are deeply interconnected but often threatened by factors like climate change, economic instability, population increase and inadequate social protection systems. These challenges exacerbate malnutrition, adversely affecting health and productivity, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Entrepreneurial thinking involves identifying opportunities within challenges, that can drive sustainable change. This approach can be harnessed to leverage gains in addressing social protection and food systems challenges. For instance; Developing new business models in food systems can enhance efficiency and ensure nutritious food is accessible. Establishing centres that connect local farmers with consumers can shorten supply chains, providing fresher food options. Reimagining social protection systems through entrepreneurial strategies can create more inclusive models, like social enterprises offering micro-insurance or microcredit, empowering communities to invest in their health and reduce reliance on aid. Promoting research and innovation can transform findings into scalable, sustainable solutions, such as developing nutritionally enhanced crops suited to Africa's diverse climates. Partnerships between academia, governments, and the private sector are essential to adopt innovative practices that improve food security and health outcomes. As a budding entrepreneurial thinker, I am passionate about focusing my efforts on the intersection of food systems and social protection as key areas to address Africa’s food security challenges. My future work will involve: Developing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: By fostering networks that connect entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers, we can create an environment where innovative solutions to food security can thrive. Advocating for Policy Change and empowering Local Communities through engagements to co-create solutions that address their unique challenges in health, nutrition, and food security, hence bringing voices of those directly affected are heard and integrated into the solutions. Lancaster University The British Academy Dr. Akanimo Odon Anthony N-yelkabong Felly Mugizi Tusiime Joweria Nambooze, PhD Nicholas Bari Ndahura, PhD Owiny Emmanuel

Glad to be part of this elaborate discussion on Food and Nutrition Security through a book chapter on:

🇫🇷🥩 DIETS RICH IN MEAT ACCOUNT FOR 60% OF THE FOOD SYSTEM'S EMISSIONS As France restricts plant-based meat labels, pushes to ban cultivated meat, and encourages factory farming, nutrition experts and climate activists are urging the national dietary guidelines to recommend a reduction in meat consumption. In November, a large European survey – which included 750 French citizens – revealed that 57% of people in France have reduced their meat consumption. For 38%, health was the biggest reason, while 29% picked the environment as the greatest motivation. However, a new 3,000-person poll has found that French consumers are eating more meat (over 700g per week) than what’s recommended by the national dietary guidelines (600g weekly). Granier Benoit, food manager at the Climate Action Network (Réseau Action Climat) and co-author of the study, illustrated the conundrum: “There is a significant portion of the French who feel they eat less meat, or who want to eat less. But meat consumption itself is not decreasing.” His organisation collaborated with the French Nutrition Society (SFN), which includes a host of public and private sector nutrition experts, for the new report, which is calling on the national guidelines to suggest cutting meat consumption by at least 25% each week – a total of 450g – in the upcoming update. “Today, we can no longer just think in terms of human health alone,” said public health expert and SFN member Nicole Darmon. “We’re also thinking in terms of the planet’s health.” While France is set to introduce its eco-labelling scheme this year, will the government take into account the impact of meat for its dietary guidelines? #GreenQueen #altprotein #futurefood #foodsystems #sustainability #emissions #health

🌱 The resources below, including platforms, toolkits, opinion pieces, and recorded events, will be worth the time of students, young graduates, and professionals passionate about transforming the agri-food systems. 🌍 🔗 Platforms & Tools: Access valuable tools and frameworks to empower your global and local (glocal) work. - Food Systems Dashboard from the Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) https://lnkd.in/eiQbrAD4 - Community and Agriculture Resilience Audit Tool (CARAT) from the North American Food Systems Network (NAFSN) (CARAT Chair: Debra Tropp; NAFSN Co-Chair: Kim Hines) https://lnkd.in/ebAd6NZy - FAO's new 'Food and Diet' domain on FAOSTAT https://lnkd.in/e3xf7U9S - The Global Nutrition Report's Country Nutrition Profiles Database https://lnkd.in/eUuASbgm - The Global Nutrition Report & Nutrition Accountability Framework (NAF) Commitment Tracker https://lnkd.in/ee6eYKyq - EU Rural Toolkit, a comprehensive guide to EU funding and support opportunities for rural areas in the European Union https://lnkd.in/eEig6Trh - Global Food and Nutrition Security Dashboard https://lnkd.in/eGwnYju4 - EU FarmBook, a Digital Platform for gathering and sharing agriculture and forestry knowledge, based on a co-creation approach https://lnkd.in/eHspYitj (to be launched tomorrow 8 February 2024) 🎥 Recorded Events: Watch engaging discussions and learn from industry experts. - Centre for Food Policy's Food Thinkers webinar on 'Political Economy of Food System Transformation: Pathways to Progress in a Polarized World' by Danielle Resnick (1 February 2024) https://lnkd.in/e5-dvU_3 - “From Commitments to Impact: Analyzing the Global Commitments Toward Promoting Food Security and Healthy Diets” Co-organized by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and The Rockefeller Foundation (6 February 2024) https://lnkd.in/eNu7BpAE - FAO briefing on “COP28 Outcomes: Addressing climate change through agrifood systems solutions” (30 January 2024) https://lnkd.in/eumBbw69 💡 Opinion Pieces: Gain new perspectives and knowledge to help you ignite meaningful conversations. - The World Bank's Brief on Enhancing Food and Nutrition Security in the Sahel and Horn of Africa https://lnkd.in/eFQ7y-gV - Blog posts and opinion pieces from Farrelly & Mitchell (Malachy Mitchell, Stephen Awuah and others) https://lnkd.in/epUqQ9Rh - A call from SDG2 Advocacy Hub about “Fueling Africa’s Future at the 2024 Africa Union Summit” https://lnkd.in/eXj7S7Zw - Food Tank Press Releases https://lnkd.in/emBJ3bME Remember to share or tag people in the comment section who might benefit from these resources, and together, let's shape a sustainable and inclusive agricultural future!

While the potential of food systems transformation is promising, the process is complex and unpredictable. To ensure interventions produce intended outcomes and contribute meaningfully to food systems transformation agendas, strong evidence on best practices is needed. However, due to the complexity of food systems and limited guidance on how to conduct rigorous evaluations, evidence is only slowly starting to emerge. To help address this knowledge gap, a team of researchers from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), IFPRI, FAO, and other institutions synthesized insights from program evaluations of six food systems interventions implemented in Africa and South Asia. The interventions aimed to increase access to nutritious foods by influencing both supply and demand. Learn more in this new blog by Jef Leroy, Lynnette Neufeld, Stella Nordhagen, and Sydney Honeycutt: https://lnkd.in/eKvKCRiq CGIAR IFPRI Africa IFPRI South Asia

🇨🇳🍴 RESEARCHERS IN HONG KONG DEVELOPED A FAT ALTERNATIVE THAT CAN IMPROVE GUT HEALTH The alt-fat world has been blossoming lately. Microbes, microalgae, carbon, you name it – startups all over the world are using techniques like fermentation to come up with fats that are better for you, and better for the Earth. Joining this list of innovations is AkkMore, a fungi-derived fat designed to replace animal fats while preventing obesity and metabolic diseases, enhancing gut health and immunity, and relieving anxiety. That is the promise of its creators from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's (PolyU) Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Department of Food Science and Nutrition (FSN). “Our research team has completed three rounds of animal trials on AkkMore. The results show that the formula can effectively improve metabolism and aid in weight management,” said project co-lead Jinhui Gail Chang, a research assistant professor at FSN. “Moving forward, we are focusing on exploring applications of AkkMore in the development of healthy food.” The PolyU researchers have been working on AkkMore since 2022, finding a way to extract the functional component from natural fungal sources. While conducting animal trials puts a question mark over the welfare aspects of the product, mice that had been administered the AkkMore formula were found to have a healthier gut microbiota, indicating better weight management, gut health, immune and metabolic system, and anxiety management. In addition to lowering the calorific content of food, AkkMore is also said to extend the shelf life of cream products, and have thickening, emulsifying and stabilising properties. Leveraging these attributes, the PolyU team developed Cream Mate, an alternative cream that can be used in conjunction with conventional cream to reduce the latter’s content in desserts. This, the researchers argue, could help cut dairy consumption and food waste in the long run, contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions and higher manufacturing productivity. #GreenQueen #innovation #health #nutrition #futurefood #sustainability

Thanks Doyle Karr for highlighting this important perspective. Talam Biotech is on a mission to equip farmers with tools to address heavy metal accumulation in food crops. If you have not heard, the threat to human health from foodborne exposure to heavy metals, especially in children, is a real issue. In response to heightened concerns, FDA launched its #closertozero program as an important step to ensure the safety of baby food destined for our most vulnerable population. Beyond baby food we continue to see heightened awareness from all consumers who increasingly cite heavy metals as a key food safety concern. All this makes the team at Talam Biotech feel even more pressure to advance our technology, put it in the hands of farmers and benefit millions of consumers with safer, nutritious food.

"Optimizing Diets Using Local Foods: A Guide," available on AdvancingNutrition.org, is a vital resource for designing resilient food security interventions. It emphasizes the significance of utilizing local food systems to meet nutritional needs sustainably while supporting agricultural diversity and local economies. This guide offers practical strategies for stakeholders in food production, policy-making, and community health to develop culturally appropriate, sustainable, and nutritionally rich diets. By tailoring interventions to the local context, it enables an adaptable, evidence-based approach to enhancing community resilience against challenges like climate change and economic instability. This resource is crucial for creating effective, sustainable food systems that contribute to global food security and community well-being. https://lnkd.in/dS_Sg-u4

📊 Systematic reviews of the environmental and health impacts of plant-based meat and dairy are like gold dust. So it's brilliant to see Sarah E. Nájera Espinosa and a fantastic team at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U. of London publish a new analysis, showing median GHG emissions reductions of 94% and tangible health benefits like higher fibre and lower saturated fat. Aggregating multiple studies is almost always better than just looking at one in isolation. But, sadly, that tends to be how lots of reporting around the nutrition, health, and environmental effects of food happens (most journalists aren't too fussed about conducting a literature review...). That leads to confusion and at worst misinformation. The LSHTM team pooled together 57 peer-reviewed studies and 36 from grey literature (think product LCAs from companies). That gives us a lot more certainty than any one individual study. As an example, they compare 135 plant-based meat products with 53 animal-based comparators to show that across GHG emissions, land use and fresh water usage, most plant-based options are at least 70% more efficient than the animal-based one. There's lots of variation within that estimate, for instance, whether it is cereal, legume or mycoprotein-based, which can help industry and policymakers identify the highest-potential opportunities to deliver climate benefits. They also show the advantageous nutritional composition of many plant-based meat and dairy alternatives too: lower saturated fat and energy density and much more fibre. Fascinatingly, despite high sodium often being seen as a criticism of plant-based meat, they found no significant evidence of higher levels than animal-based equivalents. That said, improvements could always be made, and there are important considerations too around micronutrients like iodine, where fortification plays an important role. All of this echoes the findings of our research at the Good Food Institute Europe and a similar review from Chris Bryant a few years ago. We sat down with Sarah E. Nájera Espinosa to hear more about her research and you can read our interview here: https://lnkd.in/e_xJhg6n Sarah's excellent study is published in Nutrition Reviews: https://lnkd.in/e8Mcub2x