ADVANCING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN FOOD SYSTEMS: STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDERS

This compendium of papers was commissioned by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food to strengthen the fundamental role that food systems play in creating and sustaining health and well-being in all communities and populations. A truly healthy food system will be built on a more integrated, multifaceted, and holistic approach including nutrition, health, happiness, and social and cultural indicators interpreted together and in relation to each other within the context of healthy and well-functioning food and agricultural systems.

The topics it addresses include:

1. Institutional Food: To promote the widespread adoption of healthy, sustainably-sourced foods by institutions in the public and private sector.
2. NCDs: To make the case to funders and policymakers that the rising incidence of chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and associated health care costs, are externalities of food system policies, and to encourage those institutions to become advocates for changes to food system policies.
3. Dietary Guidelines: To advance food-based dietary guidelines which promote environmental sustainability and respect cultural values.
4. Workers’ Rights: To promote innovative strategies for linking sustainable food practices with policies that improve the health and well-being of farmers and food system workers.