NeverEndingFood Permaculture (Malawi, 2023)

At a Glance

  • NeverEndingFood (NEF) Permaculture is a home and community outreach that demonstrates approaches to all aspects of sustainable living, focused on resources indigenous to Malawi.
  • People create sustainable designs for their homes, offices, schools, churches, cities, etc. such as food forests, fuel efficient kitchens, water harvesting, composting toilets etc. for diverse production of foods, fuel, fodder, fibres, medicines, etc. for better nutrition, water and soil conservation and to transition away from synthetic seed and chemical inputs.

In April of 1997, Stacia and Kristof Nordin came to Malawi through the U.S. Peace Corps to do HIV prevention work. Stacia is a Registered Dietitian and Kristof is a social worker by training. Over time, they came to see HIV in the way that the village they were in saw it—as part of a whole. They began to see that a disease that attacks the immune system is connected to malnutrition that compromises the immune system which is connected to the diversity of foods being grown locally which is connected to soil fertility and fresh water availability and so on—an interconnected cycle.

During this time they were introduced to the concepts of permaculture which emphasize:

  1. Care for the earth
  2. Care for people
  3. Fair share of all resources

The Nordins, joined by their daughter Khalidwe in 2001, integrate permaculture into all aspects of their life. They created NeverEndingFood (NEF), their home in Chitedze, a small village about 30 km from the capital city, Lilongwe. Their home serves as a permaculture demonstration as well as a space to train interns and host visitors.

At NEF, they implement a well-design system that provide perennial, year-round access to diverse and nutritious foods and medicines. This approach helps families be more self-sufficient, have access to better nutrition, save money by reducing dependency on expensive agricultural inputs, and access additional income through food processing, diversified markets and unique product ideas. They multiply indigenous resources and share them for others to multiply further.

The advent of input-dependent, mono-culture farming on much of Malawi’s agricultural land led to an agricultural focus and dependence on maize as the primary crop. In spite of being blessed with a tropical climate and plentiful water, most farms now produce one maize crop a year leading to malnutrition due to the reliance on a single crop for the bulk of people’s nutritional needs. In line with traditional farming practices around the world, permaculture diversifies agriculture production to include local fruits and vegetables, animals and animal products, spices and fibres. This improves nutrition while conserving water, improving soil fertility and converting organic matter into a resource!

The Nordins believe that “all solutions come from the people themselves, which helps to provide the self-confidence and ownership that it will take to address future problems in a sustainable way.” Along with the work happening in Chitedze, the efforts and relationships at NEF have initiated and inspired many other projects that use an integrated permaculture approach to address sustainability and nutrition. Recognizing and incorporating these interconnections means that many of the initiatives simultaneously contribute to healthier and more diverse ecosystems, better human health and nutrition, community wellness, and economic resilience.

Food for Thought
What indigenous species do YOU know where YOU are?
How are the global, industrialized food and agriculture systems influencing food production in your area?
Keeping these broader systems in mind, what solutions do you see that offer synergistic improvements in nutrition AND sustainability? 

Contact Information
Stacia and Kristof Nordin
neverendingfood.org

updated 2023 April

Sustainable Collaboration: University College Dublin and Airfield Estate, Dublin, Ireland (2024)

At a glance

  • Airfield Estate and the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science (SPHPSS), University College Dublin (UCD) began a collaboration in 2017 which was extended to the School of Agriculture and Food Science (SAFS) in 2020.
  • A senior UCD academic from the SPHPSS has contributed to Airfield’s Education and Research Committee since 2020.
  • The collaboration has enabled student training and research relevant to sustainable food systems through BSc human nutrition undergraduate work placements, and MSc dietetics and PhD nutritional science projects for over seven years. It has allowed Airfield Estate to establish itself as a research body on both national and international stages.
    • UCD gains access to the public and use of the farm, gardens, restaurant, and demonstration kitchen for practice-based training of students and research studies.
    • Airfield Estate gains access to academic processes and research project supervision.
  • This UCD-Airfield Estate collaboration provides a mutually beneficial, relatively low-cost structure to create research, train students and access the public.

Background:

Airfield Estate is a 38-acre working farm and gardens located in the suburbs of Dublin, Ireland.  Open every day to the public, its aim is to become Dublin’s Sustainable Food Hub in a world-leading, sustainable food city.  Run as an organic and regenerative farm, the Estate completes the farm-to-fork story with a restaurant and farmers market supplied by the farm and gardens.  As an organisation that has 230,000 visitors a year, and which has both an educational and research remit, it offers an opportunity for its local University, UCD, to collaborate on a range of projects.  UCD, a public research university with over 38,000 students, is Ireland’s largest university.

Collaborations between Airfield Estate and UCD range from undergraduate professional work experience (9 months) to postgraduate masters and PhD projects.  The Estate also facilitates UCD conferences and summer school visits that focus on the practical application of sustainable food systems as well as consumer behaviour change. 

UCD students and supervisors work in partnership with the education and research department of Airfield Estate to create research projects from hypothesis to dissemination.  Critical to this is the facilitation of ethical approval for these projects through the University.  The participation of a high level UCD academic on the Education and Research Committee at Airfield Estate is also important as it supports Airfield Estate positioning itself for academic grant applications and ensuring that the Estate engages in relevant research.

The success of the collaborative approach between UCD and Airfield Estate is based on offering academic staff and students a whole system understanding and approach to food systems as well as access to and working with both food production experts and consumers.  The research conducted by students on the Estate is consumer-centered and intervention-driven creating a testbed for programmes with potential to be scaled to national and international levels.  Airfield Estate has email and social media access to a large public cohort offering an invaluable reservoir for conducting surveys, creating focus groups and accessing audiences for research dissemination events.  UCD provides academic supervision of all placements and projects ensuring that they are ethically and rigorously conducted.

Lessons Learnt

1) The symbiosis of academic and non-academic education and research partners creates novel opportunities for education and research.

Having a non-academic partner with a focus on educating the public, advocating for sustainable food systems and a large database of customers, members, and followers on social media offers the academic partner a unique opportunity for education and research into consumer behaviour and consumers’ relationships with food. The facilities and proximity to the academic partner (3 km) allow for easy access for student placements and supervision, summer school educational visits, conference outings, and lectures. The provision of restaurant meals with food supplied by the farm and gardens demonstrates the practical application of a food systems approach.

UCD has been critical to the establishment of Airfield’s education and research department, contributing ethical review and approval for all research projects undertaken, the students to undertake the projects, and academic supervision. This ensures an ethical and rigorous process that protects vulnerable population groups is in place as well as facilitating the submission of high-quality research findings to national and international conferences and for peer-reviewed publication. The students and researchers from UCD working with Airfield Estate also provide an opportunity for the Estate to measure the impact of internally driven projects and programmes which is critical to future grant funding applications.

2) The non-academic partner must have a structure capable of planning and managing research. 

Airfield Estate’s strategy contains several pillars, one of which is ‘Powerful Research’.  As such, it has developed an Education and Research Committee with both external and internal stakeholders that meets quarterly and has created its own 5-year research strategy.  The Board, Trustees and Senior management of the Estate are all supportive of the research conducted at the Estate and a model of both internal research (supported by 9-month work placements by BSc human nutrition students and an in-house research officer) and international research (European Union Horizon projects) has developed.

3) Selection of topics for research must be relevant and robust for both parties.

So as not to waste time and limited resources, as a self-funded non-academic body, Airfield Estate needs to plan and strategically and critically evaluate research that is relevant to its remit and to its potential to submit successful future grant applications.  Hence, the decision-making process on what research projects are undertaken must be robust and meet the needs of both the non-academic and academic partners.  The research data and end user of the intervention must also be clearly identified in advance, utilize the expertise of academic staff and must fulfil students’ academic programme requirements. 

Other Relevant Examples

Food for Thought
• How can a non-academic partner contact a university (and vice versa) to begin a conversation on collaborating? Is there a structure within your organization or university for this?
• Memorandums of understanding are important to define the aims, relationships, and resources needed for the partnership.
• Piloting small interventions through local non-academic partners brings research to life for the public, enriches the offering and grant potential of the organization, and provides a high-quality and engaging learning experience for students.

Contact Information:

Written in collaboration with Dr Kirstie McAdoo, former Director of Education and Research, Airfield Estate

2024 September

Recovering Drug Addictions and Nutrition (Germany, 2021)

At a Glace

  • This case study originated from a dietitian in Germany who shared their story via a webinar hosted by the ICDA-SFS Toolkit Team.
  • The European food laws stating that only 100% perfect fruits and vegetables created an opportunity to reduce food waste and save money for recovering drug addicts in Germany.
  • Lessons Learnt: The fruits and vegetables from distributers that they are required not to sell due to produce not being “100% perfect”, can be helpful in practicing the reduction of food waste and using this produce to create jams, chutney’s, etc. that can be used in meals and donated.

Background

The laws around food and food distribution are different from region to region and can have an impact on what happens to food throughout the food system, specifically in the process of distribution. The European food laws restrict distributors from selling any fruits or vegetables that are not 100% perfect. For example, “if a single peach in a tray has small damages, the whole tray is not allowed to be sold”, as explained from the source of this case study. With such a high standard for fruits and vegetables, distributors try to find reliable partners that can pick up and further process the fruits and vegetables that are not able to be sold. Fortunately, the Dietitian for an open living community for recovering drug addicts in Germany was able to take advantage of these distributors and their produce.

Implementation & Impact

An open living community for recovery drug addicts in Germany consists of professional individuals, including a Dietitian, that aim to help strengthen the overall life competences of these members. Part of their therapy includes working in social agriculture, which opened the opportunity to help create a sustainable solution for the food waste created through fruit and vegetable distribution.

The Dietitian organized for the members of this community to gather the produce and goods from the distributors twice a week, while also learning how to filter out the fine fruits and vegetables that can be used for future consumption. After filtering through the produce, the members are able to, through guidance, process these fruits and vegetables into jams, juice, chutneys, syrup, cakes and much more. These products are then added to their meal plans to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption in a sustainable, hands on way, which helps to create a sense of pride and value to the members of this community.

Any over production of these products are then given away as donations from the members of this open living community. In addition, through the money they saved by resourcing this produce, they were able to buy a pool table for their personal gratification and hard work. Through this initiative, the group members learn resourceful skills in reducing food waste, while also creating personal competencies that are useful in many aspects of recovery.

Food for Thought
What laws or regulations could communities/groups within your region benefit from that could also optimize food waste?
In addition to food waste, what other topic of social/environmental sustainability is being impacted by this initiative?
Should dietitians play a role in ensuring the reduction of food waste from these distributors? If so, what role?

Contact Information

  • There is no contact information available at this time.

Gardening & Nutrition Education in a Speech & Hearing Impaired School- Chennai India

At a Glance

  • This Dr. MGR Home & Secondary School for the Speech & Hearing impaired was founded in 1990 by Dr. MGR to help increase the accessibility of education and resources for the differently abled in terms of speech and hearing in India.
  • The Chennai chapter was created to incorporate dietitians and nutritional assessment into the school to help increase the nutritional status of the students.
  • Lessons Learnt: Integrating school gardens that incorporate both the students and the parents can have a positive impact on both the lunch menu and the nutritional status of the children at home.

History

The Dr.MGR Home & Higher Secondary School for the Speech & Hearing Impaired was founded in 1990 by Dr. MGR. The vision and mission of this institution is to help the rehabilitation of the differently abled learn up to higher secondary education in sciences, computer and writing skills. In addition, teachers within this institution help teach gymnastic, yoga and dance skills to help in overall personal development. This home also offers additional resources in terms of amplification devices to help with hearing and speech for job oriented practical training to allow them to feel more comfortable in society, school and careers. Through the dedication of their staff, this institution is able to provide valuable education to their students and are continuously looking for ways to help them in all aspects of life, including nutrition.

Nutrition Implementation

In 2005/2006, the president of the Indian Dietetic Association created the Chennai chapter which began the nutritional screening of the children within the school and received help from both the principal and the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute to retrieve the medical information needed. The Chennai chapter consisted of both dietitians and students who would go to the school for multiple weeks retrieving diet information and giving diet education to the children and their parents. The dietitians were able to identify specific children who were malnourished and able to give them and their family further counseling on how to counteract the undernourishment. The children were assessed over a two year period and nutritional improvements were noted.

The Chennai chapter also collaborated with the school lunch program to help increase the quantity and quality of vegetables that were being offered. In order to help with the increase of vegetables , the school reached out to Dr. Sultan Ahmed Ismail who is the director of EcoScience Research Foundation to help utilize their large amount of land as a form of gardening. While children were in class, parents would stay and help with the development of the garden which began to grow tomatoes, papaya, and green leafy vegetables, as well as coriander and mint. Through the help of educating both the children and the parents, the garden was able to supply the school lunch menu with important vegetables needed for their nutrition.

In 2016, two posters were presented at the ICD Granada, Spain for the research work that was done in Chennai. These posters were created and presented in collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland and Central Washington University. More recently in February 2020, additional research was conducted in the same school by Dr. Ethan Bergman regarding the Nutrient analysis school lunches and anthropometric measures in a private and public school in Chennai, India.

Food for Thought
How can Dietitians-Nutritionists play a role in increasing the gardening, harvesting, and consumption of vegetables by both students and parents in the school system?
How can Dietitians-Nutritionists play a role in advocating for policies surrounding the increase of local gardens as a source of food beyond schools, such as hospitals and restaurants?
What type of social and/or environmental sustainability would be positively impacted by adapting school gardens?

Contact Information

Food Sustainability and Nutrition in Violence Prevention (Jamaica, 2021)

At a Glance

  • This case study was brought forward by the late Patricia Thompson, M.Sc. Nutrition, Past Executive Director of the Jamaican Island Nutrition Network (JINN).
  • Thompson explains the intervention that was implemented into six elementary schools in Jamaica that impacted the transition of school food to create a positive engagement tool in areas that were high in gang violence for children of school age.
  • Lessons Learnt: Opportunities and accessibility to healthy, local and supportive food programs can create a positive impact outside of school and can carry on to secondary education.

History

The Jamaican Island Nutrition Network is a charity that ensures rights for children to have nutritious food and diets. Their main mission is to “enhance the nutrition environment in Jamaica with special focus on students, student athletes, and youth in schools and related populations by collaborating with strategic partners and coordinating their efforts to enhance student performance and health” (JINN). JINN also advocates for sustainable nutrition programs in schools at multiple levels ranging from civil to community. They help build self-reliance through the use of local resources and skills and supports both environmental conservation and sustainability. In 2019, the Jamaican Island Nutrition Network annual conference had a day dedicated to Nutrition and Violence. There were problems identified through researchers, as well as a participant from the “Violence Prevention Coalition”, regarding the lack of nutrition and feeding education in programs and throughout school.

Intervention

In 2020, The Ministry of National Security (MNS) had begun its second summer program through social intervention and community engagement that was implemented into six elementary school in Jamaica. “It was known that the likelihood of being recruited into local gangs which operate within the space is high at this age” (Thompson, 2020). This program was implemented in hopes to increase the positive impact and engagement in students and help their transition to secondary school become smoother while avoiding gang violence. This program contained elements of nutrition, music, sports, and technology. The nutrition program consisted of donations from the distributor sector including packaged food and drinks. The Ministry of National Security called upon the Jamaican Island Nutrition Network (JINN) to help review and provide modifications to the current nutrition program that was implemented by the MNS. When reviewing the menu, JINN followed certain criteria to ensure the affordability of the program due to the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. Some of which included:

  • Keeping both the menus and food at a low cost…
  • Receiving produce from local farmers within the community…
  • Weighing and measuring students in order to determine their nutritional status…

The overall menu changes that were implemented by JINN were to include local produce from farmers, accept food donations and use these for take home meals and incorporate staple foods that include vegetables for vegetarians that are separate from animal products (see image below). In addition to menu change, JINN supported the suggested policy that was put forward by the Health Coalition of the Caribbean (HCC) to tax sweetened drinks in order to help curb childhood obesity, with the proviso that this tax money can help improve sustainable school nutrition. For example, paying cooks and nutrition professionals to help incorporate more nutritional options into programs such as the Wellness Program in schools. JINN believes that “the children would benefit from better nutrition thereby affecting not only their health status, but academic performance and violence disposition”. Luckily, there are now five ministries of government that have been impacted and will begin to increase opportunities for nutrition professionals in government.

Food for Thought
Are schools within your community sourcing fresh produce from local farmers or farmers markets? If not, why?
What impact can sourcing food through local farms have on both social and environmental sustainability?
What role do nutrition professionals have in ensuring adequate nutrition for school children in school and at home?

Contact Information

Jamaica Island Nutrition Network (JINN)
Email: nutritionjamaica@gmail.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/jaislandnutrition/

SecondBite (Austrailia)

At a Glance

  • SecondBite was created in 2005 by Ian and Simone Carson as an initiative to end hunger and reduce food waste in their community and throughout Australia.
  • This case study shows how the hard work and determination of just two individuals can lead to a decrease in hunger and food waste and an indirect increase in food security for thousands of people by saving nutritious food from entering the landfill, and instead, entering the homes of many people who need it.
  • Lessons Learnt: surplus food from a variety of networks, such as grocery stores, can be used to reduce the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger, while also benefiting the environment through a reduction in food waste.

History

SecondBite was established in 2005 in hopes to make a difference in the hunger and food waste that is evolving in Australia. Ian and Simone gathered a group of friends and began to visit local markets in Melbourne and collect surplus food to donate and drop off at a local charities that have a food program established. This group continued to grow with increasing volunteers and staff, and luckily for the founders, created a national partnership with Coles in 2011, which helped the organization scale rapidly. Due to this partnership, the organization was able to scale across Australia to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth and eventually create more partnerships with organizations in Tasmania and NT.

What They Do

SecondBite works with many supermarkets and other organizations that create opportunity to offer a free-of-charge supply of nutritious, surplus food to local charities and non-profits. They distribute this food to over 1,000 communities across Australia, and are able to do a “direct deliver” in areas that are most efficient in doing so. With the help of over 600 volunteers and 75 staff members, SecondBite has successfully rescued and delivered an equivalent of 100 million meals.

Through the help of the community and partnerships, this organization was able to grow on a national scale and is making a direct impact on hunger within Australia due to the increase in availability of nutritious foods. Not only will this make a great change for the reduction of food waste across a network of suppliers, it will also have a major impact on the environment due to the decrease of wastage in the landfill. In addition, the organization was able to create a “Community Connect” model that allows supermarkets and charities to directly connect with one another, allowing for a more personable, sustainable and efficient system in food delivery and access. Although there is no one solution to end hunger, food security or waste, SecondBite believes it is a step in the right direction in making an impact in Australia and, eventually, the rest of the world.

Food for Thought
Are there current food initiatives within your community that benefit from surplus nutritious food and networks?
What impact can donating surplus food have on the environment? Society?
How can Dietitians-Nutritionists support the development of these organizations and further add to their goals?

Contact Information

Website: https://www.secondbite.org
Phone: 1800 263 283
Email: admin@secondbite.org
Address: 93 Northern road, Heidelber West, VIC 3081
Facebook: @SecondBiteAus
Instagram: @secondbiteorg
X: @SecondBite_org
LinkedIn: @SecondBite

Responding to Crisis in South African Township: Community innovation for nutritious food in the time of COVID-19

At a Glance

  • This case study is drawn from a Blog Post created by Jo Hunter Adams, a research associate in the School of Public Health & African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, and Jane Battersby, an associate Professor at the African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town, and was posted on the Nutrition Connect’s website during the global pandemic.
  • Adams and Battersby explain how emerging innovation within a community to help find a solution during a crisis can result in “building back better food systems and nutrition” by local people for local people.
  • Lessons Learnt: community kitchens can be sustainable both long and short-term and create resilience when including local farmers and growers and can be used as a sustainable safety net during times of crisis.

History

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, “at least 1 in 5 households were impact bay inadequate food supply and 1 in 3 children were stunted”. With the pandemic having a direct impact on food supply, whether due to lack of transportation or increase need from families, these numbers were bound to increase as the crisis continued. In Masiphumelele, Cape Town, South Africa, food security is prevalent and on the rise. In 2019, a survey was conducted in Masiphumelele and showed that 80-90% of residents had experienced food insecurity as well as 40% of residents had experienced hunger. Unfortunately, high rates of food insecurity can result in the increase of non-communicable disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure and vulnerability to child stunting.

Innovation and Solution in Response to COVID_19 Pandemic in Masiphumelele

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it impacted the food supply and quality for many places around the world, including Masiphumelele. With many businesses, schools, and establishments shut down and advising everyone to stay at home, the need for more food in the home had increased and so did the rates of food insecurity. In response to the pandemic, the community came together, and with help from private donors, three approaches were put forth to help supply households with access to nutritious meals:

  • Vouchers
  • Food parcels
  • Community kitchens

Even with support from NGOs, both the vouchers and food parcels were only sustainable for short term use, especially for existing retailers. However, the establishment of small, decentralized kitchens have proven to be a more long-term sustainable safety net for the pandemic and are able to provide support and nutritious meals for households within the community.

Food for Thought
Are there any community kitchens in your community that can benefit from using local growers and farmers, volunteers, and support from local NGOs?
Why are food vouchers and parcels not sustainable?
In what ways do community kitchens contribute more sustainably to food systems?
A sustainable food system does not rely on emergency food aid (e.g., vouchers and food parcels) as a long term strategy. Explore the Learning Module: What are Sustainable Food Systems and Diets.

Contact Information

Nutrition Connect
Website: https://nutritionconnect.org/resource-center/blog-32-responding-crisis-south-african-township-community-innovation-nutritious
Phone:+41 22 749 18 50
Email: nutritionconnect@gainhealth.org
Twitter: @NutritionConnect
Address: Geneva, Switzerland, Rue Varembé 7, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Reviving Traditional Grain Production and Consumption (India)

At a Glance

  • Navdanya and the Organics & Millets e-Platform are part of a movement in India to revive the production and consumption of traditional grains such as millets
  • Millets are highly desirable for both sustainability and health reasons: there are dozens of varieties suited to varied local ecological conditions making them low input crops and they are highly nutritious, especially compared to rice and wheat and their more processed products that have largely replaced the diversity of traditional grains.
  • Lessons Learnt: reviving traditional crops that can meet both sustainability and nutrition goals requires a cultural shift as well as economic and policy supports. Rebuilding or creating infrastructure to promote these crops can have significant economic benefits for small-scale, rural producers and nutritional benefits for rural and urban communities.

History

Traditionally, a diversity of grains including millets, barley, rye, oats and corn were eaten in most parts of India. Since the middle of the twentieth century, these have been largely displaced by commercial grains such as rice and wheat. This shift has been driven in significant part by the pressures of globalized food, agriculture and trade systems.

In the 1950s and 1960s, a combination of industrialized agriculture and federal price supports led to an overproduction of wheat crops in the US. These surpluses were subsequently dumped as ‘food aid’ in countries like India, severely undermining local agricultural production capacity and bankrupting thousands of farmers. This dumping, in conjunction with the growth of the processed food industry, led to a significant shift in dietary patterns away from traditional grains and towards processed forms of wheat and rice. As products from the ‘developed’ industrialized world, these commercial grains were also seen as being socially and culturally more desirable. This trend continues today with traditional grains being perceived as old-fashioned and less appetizing.

In a 2020 study, Nayar estimates that this dietary shift was dramatic, including an 80% reduction in the consumption of millets across India since the 1960s . They have eroded demand and, in turn, production of traditional grains. Aggressive marketing and promotion of hybridized seeds and chemical inputs as well as growing demand due to dietary shifts has led to increased domestic production of monocultures of wheat and rice to replace traditional grain production.

Revival

Organizations such as Navdanya have been advocating for the revival of traditional grain varieties for sustainability, health and economic reasons:

  • Health: Millets, rye, barley, oats and corn are significantly more nutritious than wheat and rice, especially when those are consumed in highly processed forms such as polished rice and white flour or products made from these.
  • Sustainability: The diversity of traditional grains is adapted to different soil, water and growing conditions across India. As such, they are a more reliable crop option that requires minimal external inputs, is typically integrated in more biodiverse mixed cropping systems and is more resilient in the face of changing climatic conditions.
  • Economic: Seeds are open-pollinated and can be saved from year to year, thereby decreasing farmers’ reliance on expensive market-based inputs and the associated loans and debt that have been the cause of hundreds of thousands of farmer suicides.

Navdanya is supporting the revival of these traditional grains through awareness-raising campaigns and seed banks where traditional grain varieties are stored, propagated and distributed. The Organics & Millets e-platform and the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) are examples of organizations working to understand and promote the health and ecological benefits of traditional grains with the aim of increasing their popularity and reviving their consumption.

The creation of more familiar convenience foods such as cookies, breakfast cereals, and ready-to-eat snacks from whole, traditional grains is an approach being used to make traditional grains more interesting and attractive to modern palates and lifestyles. These efforts are having positive results, notes Dr. Vilas Tonapi, Director of IIMR, with demand increasing about 20-22% each year.

Food for Thought
What traditional foods can be produced sustainably and offer more nutritious options in your region than commercial, processed foods?
What supports are needed to revive the popularity and consumption of these foods?
What other benefits might this revival have (such as economic or cultural benefits) that would engage other stakeholders in such a project?

Contact Information

Navdanya
Website: http://www.navdanya.org/
Phone: +91-135-2693025                   Email: navdanya@gmail.com

Organics and Millets e-platform
Website: organics-millets.in
Phone: +91-80-22074111                   Email: organicsandmillets@gmail.com

Indian Institute of Millets Research
Website: millets.res.in
Phone: +91-40-24599300                   Email: millets.icar@nic.in

updated 2023 April

National School Lunch Program (Japan)

At a Glance

  • Over 10 million children in Japan receive delicious, nutritious fresh meals every school day
  • Delicious and nutritious meals are cooked from scratch on-site using whole food ingredients, often from local farms and school gardens
  • Lessons Learnt: government policy and support and integration into curriculum are key factors for success.

School lunches in Japan typically feature soups, vegetables, fish, meat and rice cooked on site with fresh, whole food ingredients. All students are served the same meal and lunch is eaten together in the classroom as around a family table. School lunches are seen as part of official curriculum with opportunities for shokuiku  (food and nutrition education), teamwork, community service and building food literacy.

Students take responsibility for setting up tables, fetching food from the school kitchen, serving and clean up. This regular involvement with food is seen as creating an appreciation for food and healthy eating habits for the long term. Many schools have school farms allowing students to experience the entire cycle from seed to plate. Seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms are often identified and celebrated building a connection to and appreciation for local food and agriculture.

History

There was a gradual progression of government policies resulting in the current national lunch program:

  • Late 19th Century: some schools provide lunches for low-income children
  • 1954: Following WWII, the School Lunch Act institutes a nationwide program
  • 1970s: Lunch menus shift from foods donated by other countries (such as skim milk and bread) to traditional Japanese menus featuring soups, vegetables, fish, meat and rice
  • 2005: Government enacts law on Shokuiku, food and nutrition education, to be included in all schools
  • 2007: Government advocates for hiring nutrition and dietetics teachers and a small percentage of schools create these positions

Research suggests that schools with Diet and Nutrition teachers have seen a positive impact “in terms of awareness and interest in diet among teachers and guardians…the proportion of children skipping breakfast has decreased, and quality of life has been improved” and that school lunches “play a role in reducing disparities in the diets of children from households with various incomes.”  

What Else? Other Relevant Examples

Successful school food programs include those supported by government, non-governmental organizations, and community groups:

  • Brazil: Brazil has had a mandatory school food program since 1955 and as of 2009, government policy requires that at least 30% of food ingredients used for the program were organic products from local farms. Learn More…
  • United Kingdom: Food for Life is an independent, non-governmental certification for healthy, sustainable food in institutions including schools that provides resources for schools to make the transition to good food. Their “unique, whole school approach makes a positive contribution to pupil health and wellbeing.” Learn More…
  • Canada: In the absence of government policy and supports, community groups such as Better School Food Nova Scotia are working towards enabling cafeteria staff “to prepare healthy, nourishing meals for students using as much locally produced food as possible.” Many schools in the region have improved menus, added salad bars and seen an increase in student fruit and vegetable consumption. Learn More…

Food for Thought
What are ways that you can help make sustainable and healthy food part of menus where you work?
What will encourage decision makers in your organization or community to see the value of providing healthy and sustainable food?

Contact Information
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Address: 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8959, Japan
Phone: +81-3-5253-4111

Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population (2014, 2019)

At a Glance

  • National guidelines published by Ministry of Health of Brazil in 2014
  • In 2019 Brazil developed Dietary Guidelines for children under 2 years old
  • There are resources on there website for citizens as well as health professionals, community workers, educators, and capacity building trainers
  • Offers a unique industrializing nation perspective
  • Available in Spanish, Portuguese and English

The 2014 Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population (DGBP) are the second edition of official national dietary guidelines for the country. The creation of these guidelines involved a public consultation process “that allowed its broad debate by various sectors of society and guided the construction of the final version” (pg. 6).

In 2019 Brazil developed Dietary Guidelines for children under 2 years old. There are several other products and resources for different target audiences on their website.

The guidelines are remarkable for a number of reasons. They:

  1. Encompass biological, social, cultural, economic and political aspects of healthy diets and take a holistic approach that integrates nutrition and sustainability.
  2. Make relevant connections between the nutritional quality of food and the social and environmental impacts of food production and distribution as well as economic sustainability, especially for small, sustainable producers.
  3. Recognize and celebrate the “knowledge implicit in the creation and development of traditional dietary patters” (pg. 21).
  4. Explicitly identify the impact of the processed food industry and how rapidly shifting food environments flooded with processed and ultra-processed foods from a globalized market present a particular challenge to healthy and sustainable diets as well as local agricultural ecosystems and economies.

The DGBP are unique amongst national dietary guidelines in offering an industrializing nation perspective that focuses on the rapid changes in dietary patterns and food systems being experienced by economically emerging countries. These include shifts towards more industrialized food systems that are “displacing natural or minimally processed foods of plant origin…and the preparation of meals based on these foods with industrialized food products that are ready for consumption…[leading to] various ill-effects including an imbalance in the supply of nutrients and an excess of dietary energy.” (pg. 17).

Speaking from and to the experience of being in the midst of this dietary transition, the guidelines clearly articulate the detrimental influence and impact of the processed food industry and misleading food advertising. They note a transition in “the environment in which food is sold, bought and consumed…[with] thousands of branded ultra-processed foods” being easily available and heavily promoted while at the same time “natural or minimally processed foods are sold in well-stocked supermarkets that quite often are a distance from where people live and work” (pg. 107).

These guidelines are particularly relevant for industrializing countries undergoing rapid industrialization of food systems and experiencing both under- and over-nutrition and developing dietary guidelines for the first time. They offer robust examples of language around:

  • a vision for healthy and sustainable diets
  • valuing and celebrating the knowledge embedded in traditional dietary patterns
  • the links between health and the social, economic and environmental sustainability of food production
  • the importance of cultural aspects of food such as cooking skills and eating together
  • the influence of the processed food industry

Contact Information
Ministry of Health of Brazil
http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-based-dietary-guidelines/regions/countries/brazil/en/