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Project

Building a community of practice for healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean
 

Mexico
South America
Project ID
109035
Total Funding
CAD 796,300.00
IDRC Officer
Roberto Bazzani
Project Status
Completed
End Date
Duration
30 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Project leader:
Ana Paula Bortoletto
Brazil

Project leader:
Beatriz Champagne
United States

Project leader:
Camila Corvalan
Chile

Project leader:
Vilma Irazola
Argentina

Summary

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a steady increase in the consumption of ultra-processed food with high levels of fat, sugar, and salt has contributed to an adult overweight rate of over 50% and an obesity rate of 23%.Read more

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a steady increase in the consumption of ultra-processed food with high levels of fat, sugar, and salt has contributed to an adult overweight rate of over 50% and an obesity rate of 23%. Further, in the last 40 years, children’s obesity worldwide has increased ten-fold. The overweight and obesity epidemic in childhood and adolescence will be a major determinant of the future health of large segments of the world’s vulnerable populations. These trends are associated with the increase of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that are among the leading causes of death in almost every country of the LAC region.

This project aims to establish and sustain a community of practice to improve food systems and prevent NCDs in Latin America. It will promote collaborative learning among individuals and organizations involved in the development and use of evidence for improving sustainable, healthy diets across populations. It will reinforce international cooperation, strengthen research and advocacy tools, and establish inter-country and multi-actor knowledge hubs to address common food systems challenges in the region. A strong emphasis on gender analysis will strengthen the quality of research and related policy implications.
A regional strategy to significantly improve standards on front-of-package labeling will be developed as a pilot. Institutions leading sub-regional hubs will coordinate priority knowledge and action lines and collaborate with countries with less experience in order to strengthen multi-actor research and advocacy capacities and policy awareness.

Five institutions, mostly led by women researchers, will launch the regional community of practice: the Brazilian Institute for Consumers’ Defense, the Inter-American Heart Foundation, the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (Chile), the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Argentina), and the National Institute of Public Health (Mexico). Each partner has individual strengths and a strong record of achievement in generating evidence, raising public awareness, and influencing policies for healthier food systems.

Research outputs

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Report
Language:

Portuguese

Summary
Author(s)
Paula Bortoletto, Ana
Report
Language:

Portuguese

Summary
Author(s)
Paula Bortoletto, Ana
Report
Language:

English

Summary

Supporting Colansa, the Community of Practice for healthy food systems, CLAS promoted evidence-based advocacy and policy change. In nine months over 2021-22, we set out to (1) position healthy and sustainable food systems among authorities and stakeholders; (2) support improved interaction between advocates and academics; (3) evaluate public awareness among stakeholders to improve communications; and (4) develop a strategy for reaching policy makers. Methods included group consensus, convening key actors, expert opinion, education for adults, and exploring social listening. To position the topic with authorities, Ministers of Health (MoH) and Finance were added to an electronic platform. MoH received a letter informing them about Colansa and its Manifesto. The “Regional NCD Agenda 2022-2030” included the collaboration with Colansa. To support interactions between advocates and academics, 2 videos and an interactive 2-day virtual session engaged them. The 51 participants discussed challenges of research for policy change, Mexico and Brazil experiences, and communicating research to non-academics. We convened and surveyed communication specialists and explored social listening in Central America showing there was a need for more frequent information and translating science into easy-to-understand concepts. Finally, a policy brief on Front of Package labelling for decision makers was developed responding to frequently asked questions.

Author(s)
Champagne, Beatriz
Informes
Language:

Spanish

Summary
Author(s)
Paula Bortoletto, Ana
Report
Language:

Portuguese

Summary
Author(s)
Paula Bortoletto, Ana
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