IPU, FAO launch handbook on improving nutrition

Produced by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and FAO, the publication seeks to support legislative processes to promote healthy diets for all

Aimed at providing lawmakers with practical guidance on legislative processes that prioritize nutrition, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), have published a new Handbook for Parliamentarians, entitled “Food Systems and Nutrition”.

The online Handbook was produced in collaboration with the Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s  Fund (UNICEF) and the African Union Development Agency’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).

It is emphasized in the Handbook that access to food alone is not enough; people need nourishment from healthy diets. Delivering such healthy diets requires a holistic approach that supports diets made up of foods that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and well-being. This approach must incorporate the entire food system – food production, processing, distributing, marketing, supplying, eating and disposal.

Every aspect of the food system must align to support good nutrition; single interventions in isolation will likely have limited impact.

Parliamentarians can play a major role in improving food systems in their respective countries, and the Handbook identifies entry points for parliamentary interventions.

For instance, parliamentarians should be fully aware of, but not be deterred by, the complex causes leading to all forms of malnutrition. Enacting appropriate laws should be prioritized as determined by the level of need, the scale and scope of problems, and cost-effectiveness.