Author Archive for: UNSCN Secretariat

The complexity and magnitude of malnutrition in the world is daunting and far too great for any one United Nations agency or organization to tackle and solve alone. Since its conception in 1977 the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN) has served as a collaborating and harmonizing platform to advance the UN’s interagency work in nutrition.

This report aims to capture the final years of UNSCN ahead of its merger with the UN Network for Scaling up Nutrition (UNN) to form UN Nutrition in 2021. It strives to share lessons learned, trials overcome and harmonizing actions that have contributed to the positive UN system level momentum to tackle malnutrition at the global level to inform the work of UN Nutrition. 

The report was informed by a review of core UNSCN publications as well as the valuable insights gained during key informant interviews with members of the UNSCN family. This included past and present members, secretariat staff and collaborators.

8-11 February 2021 (virtual)

Every year, unhealthy diets are responsible for millions of deaths and lost years of good health. Urgent action is needed to stop the growing consumption of foods and beverages that lead to unhealthy diets. Of greatest concern are excess consumption of sodium and salt, sugars and fats, particularly trans fats, and low consumption of whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

Governments worldwide have a unique opportunity and also responsibility to lead by example through the implementation of healthy public food procurement and service policies, requiring that all food and beverages served or sold in public settings contribute to the promotion of healthy diets.

Healthy public food procurement and service policies can contribute to enabling the population to consume healthy diets and reducing the burden of all forms of malnutrition, in particular, premature death and disability from preventable diet-related noncommunicable diseases. They can also contribute to increased productivity and educational attainment; create purchasing power, which can increase demand for, and availability of healthier food and reduce costs; strengthen local food systems by promoting purchasing from local producers, and improve health equity across populations.

The action framework will support policymakers or programme managers working on public food procurement or service, either at a national or subnational level including at regional, provincial or city level to develop new public food procurement and service policies or to strengthen or expand existing policies. This action framework provides an overview of how to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a healthy public food procurement policy.