UN calls on governments to use 2021 as “unique opportunity” to improve public nutrition

23 Dec 2020 --- UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for action on the insufficient quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed by global consumers. 

The UN has marked 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV) to tackle widespread malnutrition, poverty, food waste and unsustainable production processes. 

IYFV was announced in 2019 and forms part of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition. 

The UN is calling on policymakers to invest in technology to improve public nutrition.“By declaring 2021 as the IYFV, we are taking a closer look at a critical sector and urging the adoption of a more holistic approach to production and consumption that benefits human and environmental health,” Guterres says.

“Fruits and vegetables are the cornerstones of a healthy and varied diet. They provide the human body with an abundance of nutrients, they strengthen immune systems and can help lower the risk for a number of diseases. Yet, despite these benefits, we do not consume enough of them.”

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this campaign on healthy nutrition, as immune-boosting diets are becoming more important for a holistic approach to health. 

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the health and livelihoods of people across the world, we must come together to ensure that nutritious food, including fruits and vegetables, reaches the most vulnerable, leaving no one behind,” adds Guterres. 

The UN has estimated the pandemic may add between 83 and 132 million people to the number of malnourished globally in 2020 alone. 

Decade of Action on Nutrition
UN Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Qu Dongyu, described 2021 as a “unique opportunity to raise global awareness,” and highlighted the growing scope of technology and its power to provide information and coordination on nutritional issues. 

The UN’s four key goals for 2021 are: 

• To direct government policy toward raising public awareness on nutrition and healthy eating. 
• To promote diversified and balanced diets through fruit and vegetable consumption. 
• To reduce food waste and reuse excess produce wherever possible.
• To strengthen the technological capacity of all countries to tackle food waste and boost nutrition. 

Spaces to watch in 2021
COVID-19 has already plunged tens of millions of people into malnourishment this year.With these goals in mind, NutritionInsight looks at some of the year’s most promising developments that could be expanded during IYFV. 

The development of sugar-reduced sweets and gummies, formulated using fruit compounds containing natural sugars, was showcased at ISM and ProSweets in Cologne. 

Including fruit or vegetables in functional foods, particularly confectionery, was noted by exhibitors as a good way to provide part of consumers’ “five-a-day” fruit and vegetable target. Beetroot candy, for example, was touted for its ability to bring sweetness, coloring and nutrients to a food type that is usually unhealthy. 

The development of personalized nutrition technologies such as Lumen, a portable device and app that measures consumers’ metabolisms through carbon dioxide measurements, could be further developed during IYFV. 

Lumen has moreover used the data gathered from its technology to begin observing how dietary and lifestyle changes are best applied. 

Innova Market Insights has crowned “Tailored to Fit” as one of its top trends for 2021, marking new technological developments as having impending “revolutionary” potential for the nutrition market. 

While much of this sophisticated technology is still expensive, Innova Market Insights expects this to change as the market diversifies. 

Edited

By Louis Gore-Langton