Last week, USCIB submitted comments to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition on the contribution of the private sector and civil society to improve nutrition. This online consultation will feed into the Second International Conference on Nutrition Preparatory Technical Meeting (November 13-15 in Rome).
In the submission, USCIB stressed that advancing health and nutrition requires a multi-stakeholder approach that reflects the complexities of the issues. There is no quick or simple solution to addressing challenges such as obesity, under-nutrition and disease, we said. While we believe that the private sector has a role in producing healthy and nutritious food, it is equally important to address issues that impact the community’s ability to thrive such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, water access and sustainable agriculture.
It is within this context that USCIB shared some examples of programs and approaches that reflect this complex reality. The submission highlights several successful private sector initiatives already in place, including programs by Coca-Cola, CropLife, General Mills, McDonalds, Monsanto, Nestle, and PepsiCo.
“USCIB believes that private-sector know-how in the areas of innovation, science and technology, as well as good production and management practices, can be increasingly harnessed through effective partnerships with research institutions, farmers, policy-makers, and civil society,” according to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation
“Furthermore, the private sector plays a critical role in further strengthening markets, economic growth and livelihoods. While private sector involvement is key, there is also a need for government collaboration, particularly in helping ensure greater policy coherence, such as reducing barriers to trade.”
The Rome meeting will be a high-level ministerial conference which will seek to propose a flexible policy framework to adequately address the major nutrition challenges of the next decades. It will also seek to identify priorities for international cooperation on nutrition in the near and medium-term.
Staff contact: Helen Medina
