A4NH’s systemic approach to food systems research emphasizes healthier diets. While keeping in mind the relationships among different system components, and how a change in one component influences other outcomes, the program focuses on consumer demand for certain types of diets, how these deviate from recommended healthy diets, and what influences the choices people make about their diets. This is unusual in food systems research to date, yet essential to understanding the circumstances driving dietary transitions in what people eat and how they access that food—circumstances that are also shaping demand for what is grown, how it is transported, safety considerations, packaging, marketing, and more.
To achieve this mission, A4NH’s research flagship Food Systems for Healthier Diets (FSHD) engages with national partners in four countries—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Viet Nam—to support their national policies and actions for food system transformation. While adapting to the local policy situation, we also look for common lessons that can be applied by other countries.
This brief, a companion to “National Food Systems: Inclusive Transformation for Healthier Diets,” Chapter 6 in the International Food Policy Research Institute’s 2020 Global Food Policy Report: Building Inclusive Food Systems, offers a deeper dive into A4NH’s food systems research in its focus countries to date.
Read the brief: Inclusive Food System Transformations for Healthy Diets: National Experiences with a Global Challenge
New online course, free through 2021, engages participants in food environment analysis
Across the globe, a healthy diet was already unaffordable for 3 billion people before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. With income
Food systems research is a vast topic with many entry points. This compendium explains the many indicators for food system assessment and their uses.
