The Nutrition Transition model is presented with the nature and pace of change in key stages varying by location and subpopulations. At present, all high-income and many low- and middle-income countries are in a stage of the transition where nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension are dominating adult morbidity and mortality and are very high or growing rapidly in prevalence. Some countries still have key subpopulations facing hunger and undernutrition defined by stunting or extreme thinness among adults. We call these double burden of malnutrition countries. All low- and middle-income countries face rapid growth in consumption of ultra-processed food and beverages, but it is not inevitable that these countries will reach the same high levels of consumption seen in high-income countries, with all the negative impacts of this diet on health. With great political and civil society commitment to adoption of policies shown in other countries to have improved dietary choices and social norms around foods, we can arrest and even reverse the rapid shift to diets dominated by a stage of high ultra-processed food intake and increasing prevalence of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/obr.13366

The nutrition transition to a stage of high obesity and noncommunicable disease prevalence dominated by ultra-processed foods is not inevitable.

Food systems that deliver healthy diets without exceeding the planet’s resources are essential to achieve the worlds’ ambitious development goals. Healthy diets need to be safe, accessible, and affordable for all, including for disadvantaged and nutritionally vulnerable groups such as of smallholder producers, traders, and consumers in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, food systems are experiencing rapid and drastic changes and are failing to fulfil these multiple duties simultaneously. The international community therefore calls for rigorous food systems transformations and policy solutions to support the achievement of healthy diets for all. Most strategies, however, are essentially supply- and market-oriented. Incorporation of a healthy diet perspective in food system transformation is essential to enable food systems to deliver not only on supplying nutritious foods but also on ensuring that consumers have access can afford and desire healthy, sustainable, and culturally acceptable diets. This paper argues that this should be guided by information on diets, dietary trends, consumer motives, and food environment characteristics. Transformational approaches and policies should also take into account the stage of food system development requiring different strategies to ensure healthier diets for consumers. We review current knowledge on drivers of consumer choices at the individual and food environment level with special emphasis on low- and middle income countries, discuss the converging and conflicting objectives that exist among multiple food-system actors, and argue that failure to strengthen synergies and resolve trade-offs may lead to missed opportunities and benefits, or negative unintended consequences in food system outcomes. The paper proposes a menu of promising consumer- and food-environment- oriented policy options to include in the food systems transformation agenda in order to shift LMIC consumer demand towards healthier diets in low- and middle income countries.

/pdf/reverse-thinking-taking-a-healthy-diet-perspective-towards-4l0t45pk39.pdf

Reverse thinking: taking a healthy diet perspective towards food systems transformations

How do food safety concerns affect consumer behaviors and diets in low- and middle-income countries? A systematic review

Rice is food consumed regularly and is vital for the food security of over half the world’s population. Rice production on a global scale is predicted to rise by 58 to 567 million tonnes (Mt) by 2030. Rice contains a significant number of calories and a wide variety of essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional values. Its nutrients are superior to those found in maize, wheat, and potatoes. It is also recognised as a great source of vitamin E and B5 as well as carbohydrates, thiamine, calcium, folate, and iron. Phytic acid and phenols are among the phenolic compounds found in rice, alongside sterols, flavonoids, terpenoids, anthocyanins, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and oryzanol. These compounds have been positively linked to antioxidant properties and have been shown to help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This review examines recent global rice production, selected varieties, consumption, ending stocks, and the composition of rice grains and their nutritional values. This review also includes a new method of paddy storage, drying, and grading of rice. Finally, the environmental impacts concerning rice cultivation are discussed, along with the obstacles that must be overcome and the current policy directions of rice-producing countries.

/pdf/rice-for-food-security-revisiting-its-production-diversity-19k5mpqj.pdf

Rahul Dhar

Papers

The Processed food revolution in African food systems and the Double Burden of Malnutrition.