The New York Academy of Sciences
Solving Malnutrition through Food Systems and Nutrition Programs

Posted October 24, 2019
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Overview
Malnutrition, in all its forms, is a global challenge. As a key modifiable risk factor for chronic and infectious diseases, it has far-reaching health, economic, and social consequences. On September 13, 2018, the New York Academy of Sciences hosted a discussion of two contrasting, yet not mutually exclusive, strategies to meet the global population’s nutritional needs. Barbara Burlingame, of Massey University, New Zealand, and Kathryn Dewey, of the University of California Davis, presented their views on food systems and nutrition programs.
Highlights
- According to Dewey, filling nutrient gaps with supplementation, fortification, bio-fortification, and fortified products may be an appropriate complement to improve food systems as a whole. ❯
- Burlingame argued that food systems can adequately support healthy diets for the population through sustainable diets and food biodiversity already present in the ecosystem. ❯
- Both Dewey and Burlingame agree on the importance of finding mutually agreeable strategies and exploring areas of complementarity using multisectoral involvement. ❯