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Book (stand-alone)Technical reportReport of the regional expert consultation of the Asia-Pacific network for food and nutrition on functional foods and their implications in the daily diet 2004
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No results found.An account of the consultation at the FAO regional office in Bangkok from 16 to 19 November 2004, attended by 21 nutrition experts from ten member countries. The term "functional foods" is not well understood and its usage varies greatly among countries. The generally accepted understanding is that functional foods provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Identification of functional foods is at very different stages in the region and it is time for the region to have an agreed technical definition for functional foods and appropriate methodologies for scientific substantiation of health claims. Appropriate regulatory mechanisms to ensure safety and efficacy of the products are also needed. Such mechanisms and regulations would be beneficial not only for the industry, but to instill greater consumer confidence in functional foods. The consultation deliberated on various aspects of functional foods, especially nutritional considerations, with the aim of promoting the improved nut ritional status and health of the population, in Asia in particular. -
Book (series)Technical study2018 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition
Accelerating progress towards the SDGs
2018Also available in:
No results found.During the last three years, progress at reducing undernourishment has slowed tremendously in Asia and the Pacific. After years of gains in combatting hunger, progress has stagnated in all parts of this vast region. Despite decades of economic growth, nearly half a billion people remain undernourished. Children, in particular, continue to face the burden of malnutrition – this region is home to more than half of the world’s malnourished children – with one child in every four below the age of five suffering from stunting. This is a colossal human loss, given the association between undernutrition and poor cognitive development, with severe lifelong consequences for these children. At the same time, and almost paradoxically, Asia and the Pacific has witnessed rapid growth in the number of overweight children and the serious consequences that entails for their future health and well-being. This double burden of malnutrition sees undernourished and overweight children living in the same communities and households and it can even occur within the same child. Efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition must go hand in hand with those to build and sustain peace and there is an urgent need to accelerate and scale up actions that strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity of people and their livelihoods to climate variability and extremes. As migration from rural to urban areas continues apace, particularly involving poorer families, urban malnutrition is another challenge facing many countries. In summary, what is becoming increasingly clear is that the world cannot meet the 2030 target of zero hunger if Asia and the Pacific – the world’s most populous region – is not leading the way. It is a hard reality but one that must be faced with a united determination to turn things around. For the first time, four UN agencies have come together to jointly assess the state of food security and nutrition in Asia and the Pacific. Together, we hope that the findings of this report will contribute to a more informed dialogue. Without doubt, all stakeholders must make much greater efforts to accelerate progress toward the goals of a healthy and hunger-free Asia and the Pacific. Action is needed now. The sense of urgency cannot be overstated. -
MeetingMeeting documentState of Food and Agriculture in Asia and the Pacific Region, including Future Prospects and Emerging Issues 2018The Asia and the Pacific region has made remarkable progress in reducing food insecurity and malnutrition over the past quarter of a century, albeit with variations across subregions. Nevertheless, the triple burden of malnutrition, the coexistence of undernutrition, obesity and overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies, weighs heavily on the performance of countries of the region. The improvements in food security and nutrition, as well as the increase in obesity and overweight – have resulted to a large extent from the increased availability of and access to food. Diets have improved in quality and quantity as overall, people consume less cereals and more livestock productsThese changes in dietary intake and quality were made possible, inter alia, by the development of crop agriculture, through the adoption of improved varieties of rice, wheat and maize, coupled with increased use of fertilizer and other inputs and an increase in the areas under irrigation. In turn, these factors made it possible to increase cereal production for food and animal feed. Improved feed coupled with improvements in livestock breeding allowed increased production of meat, milk, eggs and other livestock products. Horticulture and fisheries also saw large increases in some countries. The development of agriculture, covering crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry, 1. led to higher incomes for rural households and kept food prices lower than they would otherwise have been. These factors improved availability of and access to food, thus improving nutrition, but with large subregional disparities. South Asia, for example, lagged behind Southeast Asia and East Asia.
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Book (series)Technical studyThe impact of climate variability and extremes on agriculture and food security - An analysis of the evidence and case studies
Background paper for The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018
2020Also available in:
No results found.Global climate studies show that not only temperatures are increasing and precipitation levels are becoming more varied, all projections indicate these trends will continue. It is therefore imperative that we understand changes in climate over agricultural areas and their impacts on agriculture production and food security. This study presents new analysis on the impact of changing climate on agriculture and food security, by examining the evidence on recent climate variability and extremes over agricultural areas and the impact of these on agriculture and food security. It shows that more countries are exposed to increasing climate variability and extremes and the frequency (the number of years exposed in a five-year period) and intensity (the number of types of climate extremes in a five-year period) of exposure over agricultural areas have increased. The findings of this study are compelling and bring urgency to the fact that climate variability and extremes are proliferating and intensifying and are contributing to a rise in global hunger. The world’s 2.5 billion small-scale farmers, herders, fishers, and forest-dependent people, who derive their food and income from renewable natural resources, are most at risk and affected. Actions to strengthen the resilience of livelihoods and food systems to climate variability and extremes urgently need to be scaled up and accelerated. -
Book (series)FlagshipThe State of Food and Agriculture 2019
Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction
2019The need to reduce food loss and waste is firmly embedded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Food loss and waste reduction is considered important for improving food security and nutrition, promoting environmental sustainability and lowering production costs. However, efforts to reduce food loss and waste will only be effective if informed by a solid understanding of the problem. This report provides new estimates of the percentage of the world’s food lost from production up to the retail level. The report also finds a vast diversity in existing estimates of losses, even for the same commodities and for the same stages in the supply chain. Clearly identifying and understanding critical loss points in specific supply chains – where considerable potential exists for reducing food losses – is crucial to deciding on appropriate measures. The report provides some guiding principles for interventions based on the objectives being pursued through food loss and waste reductions, be they in improved economic efficiency, food security and nutrition, or environmental sustainability. -
Book (series)Technical studyLatin America and the Caribbean - Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2023
Statistics and trends
2023Also available in:
The 2023 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in Latin America and the Caribbean presents an update of the data and trends in food security and nutrition in recent years. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the economic slowdown, rising food inflation and income inequality have had an impact on regional figures. The most recent data shows that, between 2021 and 2022, progress was made in reducing hunger and food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the progress achieved is far from the targets established to meet SDG 2 of ending hunger. In addition, one in five people in the region cannot access a healthy diet and malnutrition in all its forms, including child stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity continue to be a major challenge.