June 18, 2018//-EAT Founder and Executive Chair, Dr Gunhild A. Stordalen has urged governments across the world to incorporate public health issues into their agricultural policies.
According to her, this would enhance the safety of their citizens as well as improve the socio-economic development of the various countries.
Dr Stordalen made the call at the at the just-ended EAT Stockholm Food Forum held in Sweden.
She however observed that some governments around the world draw policies for agriculture without featuring public health which is also key.
“Right now governments around the world have agricultural policies that have nothing to do with public health or environment or livelihood so what EAT is pushing forward is to have a comprehensive tool and agricultural policies that will be developed in collaboration with various ministries accross the world”.
Dr Stordalen added that EAT would not go into what a country’s policy should look like but what EAT is trying to push forward is policies that should be evidence based, or based on best available science and comprehensive from farm to down the waste bin.
She revealed that EAT is working to find business solution based on EAT Lancet Commission framework which has been on the forefront of change but obviously transition is not going to be easy.
“We struggle to get among other some agricultural ministers at the table and some of the big food companies are not showing up yet but I am hopeful this is just about timing, it is about adopt or die.”
The reason EAT tries to bring these stakeholders together and also rely upon governement and policy makers is to develop science based policies to enable business do the right thing, Dr Stordalen stated.
Show interest in Public Health
On her part, the Co-Chair , High-Level Commission, Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) at World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Sania Nishtar said more could be achieved when industries have interest in public health issues but where the industries have divergent interest that is where the problem starts from.
She is optimistic that when proper public policies are put in place by shaping market behaviour and consumer demands the change would happen.
Dr Nishtar that in developing countries across the globe, usually people don’t engage professional to cook and that is also one of the biggest challenge as they end up consuming whatever is availbable but since EAT has also engaged chefs who have come out with a manifesto that could bring about the great transformation.
On food security, she said it is important for governement to appreciate that, the pre-occupation of National Security is not enough to get to the welbeing of the population.
The human security dimensions are equally very important and many aspects of human security such as water, energy, food security etc.
She said it is a common knowledge in public health that food is the great contributor to the burden of disease but people keep talking about health and sanitation, elimination of tuberclosis without paying attention to the great contributorof disease.
Instructively, the Government of Sweden hosted over 600 delegates at the fifth annual EAT Stockholm Food Forum, from June 11-12, in Stockholm, Sweden to deliberate on prevailing challenges facing food and find sustainable solutions to them.
The forum for the first time is jointly hosted by EAT and the Government of Sweden.
EAT is an independent non-profit organization with three core partners: the Wellcome Trust, the Stordalen Foundation and the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
By Maame Agyeiwaa Agyei, back from Stockholm, Sweden
