Programme Improving diet and nutrition: challenges for global food, agricultural and land use policies Monday 23 Wednesday 25 April 2012 WP1157

Transcription

1 Programme Improving diet and nutrition: challenges for global food, agricultural and land use policies Monday 23 Wednesday 25 April 2012 WP1157 How to ensure Sustainable Healthy Diets produced by Sustainable Agricultural Practices within a Globally Sustainable Ecosystem? More than a decade into the 21st century, around a billion people still suffer from undernutrition. The same number are affected by overweight, obesity and diet-related ill-health. As governments, the international community, and civil society organisations continue to grapple with global food security, diet is frequently listed among the factors likely to affect it in the coming years. In spite of this, the role of nutrition is often neglected in food security and agricultural policies. How can the Food and Agriculture Organization s definition of food security which states that food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life be realised in practice? This conference will explore a variety of diet and nutrition-related themes in relation to agricultural production. Discussion will focus on sustainable diets; highlight examples of best practice in tackling under- and mal-nutrition; explore the policy implications and challenges of dietary change, associated with both increasing affluence and poverty; consider how to protect women, children and other vulnerable groups from food and nutritional insecurity; assess the role of the private sector in boosting nutritional outcomes; and the policies required to address the various forms of under-, over- and mal-nutrition in a world of changing climate, finite natural resources, and an increasing population. Overarching questions include: How can food and nutritional security be improved in different parts of the world? What is a sustainable diet? How can more sustainable eating habits become reality? How can vulnerable groups such as children be protected? What are the policy measures required to tackle both under- and over-nutrition? How can agricultural and land use policies support healthier and sustainable diets? What future food, nutrition and agricultural policies are required at national and international levels? How to better link such policies? This conference is the third in a series on Agriculture, food and land use: the international policy challenges which Wilton Park is running over 3 years in association with the University of Exeter. The first conference, in April 2011, addressed: Global food and agriculture: Policy options in response to increased volatility And, the second, in September 2011: Global land use: policies for the future Reports available on Wilton Park website.

2 Monday 23 April Participants arrive and buffet lunch available Welcome and introduction - Setting the context: Iain Ferguson Chairman, Wilton Park, Steyning Reprise: Key learning from the two previous Wilton Park conferences in the series which focused on policy options in response to increased volatility and global land use Michael Winter Director, Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter, Exeter Improving food and nutritional security in the 21 st century What are the issues affecting international food and nutritional security? How do they relate to existing international-level food and agricultural policies? What are sustainable diets and what sustainable production methods deliver this? What policy measures are required to realise more sustainable global consumption and production patterns? How to balance technical approaches to improve nutrition with social and cultural drivers and inequalities? What are the policy implications of changing diets in different parts of the world? Geof Rayner Consultant, Health Policy; Visiting Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences, City University, London Ron Bonnett President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture; Board Member, World Farmers Organisation (WFO), Ottawa Photograph and tea/coffee Tackling under-nutrition: examples of successful approaches 1900 Reception drinks Which approaches have been most successful at tackling hunger and other forms of nutritional insecurity? Examples from developing countries. How can vulnerable groups, such as children, women, pastoralists, be protected from under- and mal-nutrition? How best to highlight and address food poverty and mal-nutrition in developed societies? Chair: Tom Arnold, Chief Executive, Concern Worldwide, Dublin Adriana Aranha Professor, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais; Analyst, Public Policy of the Municipality of Belo Horizonte; Former Special Adviser to Zero Hunger Programme, Ministry of Social Development, Belo Horizonte Boitshepo Bibi Giyose Senior Food and Nutrition Security Adviser, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency, Johannesburg 1930 Dinner with speaker How to ensure Sustainable Healthy Diets produced by Sustainable Agricultural Practices within a Globally Sustainable Ecosystem Professor Sir John Beddington Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government, Government Office for Science, London

3 Tuesday 24 April Breakfast Food and diet in the developed world: policy challenges and implications Tea/coffee What are the policy challenges of ensuring access to nutritious food? How to address malnutrition in developed societies? What to do about waste? Who should be in charge of diet? Food and diet: a perspective from the Food Standards Agency Tim Smith Chief Executive, Food Standards Agency UK, London Addressing mal-nutrition and household food insecurity in developed societies Elizabeth Dowler Professor, Food and Social Policy, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick, Coventry The policy challenges for countries facing the double burden of tackling both under- and over-nutrition Lunch What are the policy implications for countries facing the double challenge of new diet related ill-health, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease, alongside old-style hunger and mal-nutrition? What are the best approaches for tackling these two outcomes? Francesco Branca Director, Department of Nutrition for Health and Development, World Health Organisation, Geneva Zhai Fengying Professor, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety; Managing Vice President, Chinese Nutrition Society, Beijing Brian Thompson Senior Nutrition Officer, Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome Discussion with local food producers and retailers (optional; outside if weather fine) Chris Hodgkins Sheep Farmer, Locks Farm, Washington Tim Hassell Farm General Manager, Goodwood Farm, The Goodwood Estate Company Ltd, Chichester Food for health How to enhance nutritional value? Developing policies and practices. Micronutrients as health interventions: what works? Lynnette Neufeld Chief Technical Adviser, Micronutrient Initiative, Ottawa

4 Tea/coffee Food for health: food for life initiative Peter Melchett Policy Director, Soil Association, Bristol The role of biological innovations in improving diet-related health and nutrition Jan Chojecki Managing Director, Plant Bioscience Limited (PBL), Norwich How to make things happen? Discussion in smaller groups Themes for discussion in 3-4 smaller groups to be agreed by the group. These could include: How to improve diets in practice? (the role of education/creative culture/norms etc) How will land use need to change to meet dietary needs? Linking nutritionists, agriculturalists and the supply chain better: how? What does sustainability look like? 1900 Reception drinks 1930 Dinner hosted by Richard Burge, Chief Executive, Wilton Park Wednesday 25 April Breakfast How to make things happen?: feedback from discussion groups Improving global diet and nutrition: challenges for food and agricultural policies Tea/coffee What are the policy obstacles and challenges to ensuring sustainable and improved diets and nutrition? What are the effects of increased meat and dairy consumption, for example on land use, food production, including of indigenous crops, and prices? How to ensure agricultural production and policies work together with nutrition policies? Links between biodiversity and the global diet and the farmers role in this. Peter Kendall President, National Farmers Union (NFU), Stoneleigh Tim Lang Professor of Food Policy, School of Health Sciences, City University, London

5 The role of the private sector in improving nutritional outcomes What is the role of the private sector in improving nutrition? Where does the responsibility for good nutrition lie? Can business models be used to scale-up examples of good practice to improve global nutritional outcomes? What can food retailers and manufacturers do to help achieve better nutrition? Introduction in plenary followed by discussion in two smaller groups (45 mins) Bonnie McClafferty Director, Agriculture and Nutrition, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Washington DC Helen Fleming Group Climate Change Director, Tesco PLC, Cheshunt Feedback from discussion groups Concluding round-table discussion 1300 Lunch (Including discussion on future of Wilton Park series on Agriculture, food and land use) Chair: Michael Winter, Director, Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter, Exeter 1400 Participants depart