Future of food: “Malnutrition is the greatest global challenge,” warns FAO

11 Jun 2019 --- Malnutrition in all its forms is one of the greatest challenges facing the world – as we look toward the future, the food systems of tomorrow must provide healthy and sustainable diets for everyone. This is the underlying message coming out of the two-day “Future of Food” international symposium in Rome (hosted June 10-11), where key stakeholders are gathering to debate the disparity of why hunger persists in some countries while unprecedented obesity reigns in others.

The increase in diet-related non-communicable diseases is well documented and underscores the urgent need for food system transformation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Food and agriculture must move towards the path of sustainability, “achieving more with less and producing safe and nutritious food for all,” stresses the FAO.

The “Future of Food” symposium puts the spotlight on vital issues such as how to provide the diets needed for optimal health and wellbeing, while simultaneously addressing issues of social inequality and the depletion of the world’s natural resources within the context of climate change.

Academics, researchers, policy makers, representatives from civil society and the private sector, parliamentarians and government agencies are attending the final day of the symposium today. 

At the gathering, there have been panel discussions on topics including research, knowledge gaps and needs for sustainable food systems and healthy diets; governance of food systems for healthy diets and building consumer confidence in food systems. Questions are also being raised about what it takes to transform food systems. 

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva opened the symposium yesterday.

Future of Food is the latest global event where the next food frontier takes center stage, a major theme within the nutrition space and the food and beverage industry as a whole. 

Last year saw several similar events and reports with one common theme, marking the urgent need for change to better adapt to the projected world population growth. How the industry will feed future generations sustainability and within environmental boundaries remains a looming question. 

For instance, last November, an in-depth report from the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) called for a total transformation of how agricultural systems operate, with consumer choices highlighted as a major factor driving “disastrous climate change.” A panel of experts warned that global food systems are failing and urgently need to be turned around to avoid catastrophic climate change. A key theme focused on how to mitigate impacts through “climate-smart” food systems as well as dietary changes, such as cutting down on meat. The report came as a “wake-up call” to world leaders ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP24, in Poland, which was also held in November. 

Changing food systems, sustainability and dietary shifts are all also major topics of interest to leading food industry players. This is evidenced by a swathe of food incubators working with start-ups and companies to find sustainable food and beverage solutions as well as corporate-financed initiatives such as the “Future Food Initiative” where Bühler, Givaudan and Nestlé are collaborating to boost healthy and sustainable innovation. 

By Gaynor Selby