CII Curtain Raiser to CII Global Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation

Diversify the way food is produced & marketed to help diversify diets, says Dr. Lawrence Haddad, World Food Price Laureate

“In every country the health system is fixing the gaps in the food system given that diet related complications are amongst the top ten causes of morbidity across the world and therefore comprehensive approach is the need of the hour” said Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in a fireside chat with CNBC-TV18’s Shereen Bhan at the Curtain Raiser of the CII Global Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation organized by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi. He emphasized that while India is performing well on the production side the challenge is more on the market side where the food loss is high. This can also be inferred from the results of NFHS IV & V survey which indicate that the program coverage has increased but still the malnutrition rates are high. It is therefore important that we diversify the way food is produced & marketed to help diversify diets.

Ms. Vinita Bali, the Chairperson of CII National Committee on Nutrition said that “It is imperative that we ensure access to safe and nutritious food to all segments of the society. In India we have the infrastructure to deliver nutrition be it under Integrated Child development Scheme (ICDS), Mid-Day Meal Scheme or Public Distribution System (PDS) and if implemented effectively can create a much larger impact. Towards the same, action is required on several fronts and action is required simultaneously, and the Food Systems approach is a step in this direction”.

Some of the solutions highlighted to address the issue in the Indian context included value chain interventions to reduce post-harvest losses, focus from processing companies on fortification/reformulation, more PPP projects on improving access to nutrition, creating consumer awareness on healthier choices, innovative marketing to attract youth as ambassadors for nutrition.

The event was organized by CII’s Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE) in partnership with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The interaction was aimed at setting the context and throwing light on the aspects of food systems transformation, focussing on the interlinkage between people, planet, and prosperity, and to instil a vision towards adopting a food systems approach towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.

The interaction was a curtain raiser for the upcoming CII Global Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation scheduled for 20-21 April 2023 in New Delhi.

Planned as a two-day conference the dialogue will aim to bring together global thought leaders from across the world and showcase best practices and implementation models from G20 countries. Given the diverse yet interconnected aspects of food systems, the first day of the Global Dialogue (April 20) will see multiple thematic sessions around curated topics impacting food systems, such as nutrition, data science, agro-ecology, food waste, food safety etc. This will be followed by the inaugural session and three plenary sessions around the themes of People, Planet and Prosperity on April 21, 2023.

The sessions will aim to find the pathways towards implementing food systems transformation to ensure sustainable production, food security and nutrition of the global family and outline priorities and defining actionable goals under the G20 umbrella. The sessions will feature some very eminent speakers from Government of India, international organizations, industry and business.

Being the B20 secretariat, CII is organising the Global Dialogue on Food Systems Transformation as part of its B20 mandate.

21 February 2023

New Delhi