Does Global Goal Setting Matter for Nutrition and Health?

Abstract

The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mark an important moment for the world to improve human capital through nutrition and health goal setting. While the Millennium Development Goals contributed to the reduction in the number of undernourished people, the agenda remains unfinished. We are at a crucial crossroads with malnutrition burdens and hunger not decreasing as fast as they should and sometimes increasing. There is a moral imperative to act on the SDGs for nutrition, and health systems and professionals working in those systems have significant roles to play in fulfilling the objectives set out by the goals-that is, in ensuring that all citizens have a chance to achieve their own development. Setting Global Goals for NutritionSetting global goals serves as a policy tool for promoting cooperation within the international community. Their main purpose is to draw attention to neglected priorities that the world should care about and to make achieving those goals a reality. Global goals are not treaties with binding obligations. They are not intended to be "implemented" by a world authority as planning targets might be. Instead, they set out priority agendas and frameworks for evaluating overall progress and for guiding efforts. 1

Umami Taste as a Component of Healthy Diets

“…These changes in dietary patterns, supported by greater wealth and higher food affordability, are known as nutrition transition (Drewnowski & Popkin, 1997). However, the health and environmental costs seem to be hidden in inexpensive global staple grain and sugar crops, as shown by the increase in the burden of malnutrition (Fanzo, 2018;Tilman & Clark, 2014). A "Western/unhealthy" pattern has been described as having a high intake of refined grains and sweets, meat, and soft drinks (Murakami et al, 2018).…”

Sustainable food systems and healthy diets: the case of mediterranean diet

“…Thus, it seems that food consumption instead of having positive impacts on human health, has significant negative impacts on vital pillars. It will not improve if nations and authorities worldwide do not take suitable sustainable actions; the population is growing each year and more and more food will be needed in the future (Aiking & de Boer, 2018;Bhargava, 2019;Fanzo, 2018;HLPE, 2020;Jones et al, 2016;Röös et al, 2015).…”

“…All of them set targets for sustainable human development; the most notable one is the 2030 Agenda of UN for Sustainable Development. It sets out a long-term global vision for sustainable development; the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are focussed to achieve a prosperous, socially inclusive, stable economic growth and environmentally sustainable future for humanity, young generations, and the whole planet (Fanzo, 2018;Global Sustainable Development Report, 2019;Johnston et al, 2014;Lucas & Wilting, 2018;Meybeck & Gitz, 2017).…”

Family farming in times of Covid-19

“…The reality of Brazilian family farming reflects the characteristics already demonstrated by studies carried out in other international contexts, which indicated that in the regions where family farming predominates, food culture and inheritances related to existing culinary knowledge are much more varied. In regions where large farms predominate producing staple food (soy, corn, wheat and others), the food habits are based on products purchased in supermarkets, because farmers have FAMILY FARMING AND COVID- 19 3 https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-9865202033e200180 already stopped growing the crops they used for their own nutrition [14]. Small rural properties help to maintain the diversity of agricultural products and nutrients worldwide [15].…”