New report of the CFS High Level Panel of Experts on Nutrition and Food Systems

In the margins of the Committee on Food Security (CFS44) the report of the CFS High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) on Nutrition and Food Systems will be presented. “Nutrition and Food Systems” comes as a request of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), at its 42nd session in October 2015, to the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) to be presented at CFS 44 in October 2017. This topic is highly relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the implementation of the 2014 Rome Declaration on Nutrition, the subsequent Decade of Action for Nutrition, and the fulfillment of the right to adequate
food.

The report aims to analyse how food systems influence diets and nutrition. It offers three significant additions to previous frameworks. First, it emphasizes the role of diets as a core link between food systems and their health and nutrition outcomes. Second, it highlights the central role of the food environment in facilitating healthy and sustainable consumer food choices. Third, it takes into account the impacts of agriculture and food systems on sustainability in its three dimensions (economic, social and environmental

The report is illustrated by short case studies reflecting the wide variety of practical experiences in different contexts. It also provides a set of action-oriented recommendations addressed to states and other stakeholders in order to inform CFS engagement in advancing nutrition and CFS contribution to the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025). The HLPE recommendations cover a wide range of issues: integrating nutrition within national policies and budgets; women’s empowerment; trade issues; nutritional vulnerabilities of particular groups; conflict of interest; data collection; food supply chains; consumer demand; etc.

The set of recommendations presented at the end of the report is a contribution to the progressive realization of the right to adequate food and nutrition. Food systems shape people’s diets, their health and nutrition outcomes and their overall well-being. The way food is produced, distributed and consumed also impacts the integrity of the planet and the stability of nations.

The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) was established in 2010 as the science-policy interface of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The HLPE aims to improve the robustness of policy making by providing independent, evidence-based analysis and advice at the request of CFS.

Download the report: English

Download the Summary and the Recommendations: English / Français / Español