热博体育

Nearly 3 billion people worldwide lack access to healthy food. Stunting affects 20% of children under 5, and more than a third of the world's population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies. Adult obesity rates continue to rise, currently at 16% worldwide.

In the Global South, populations are now facing the "triple whammy" of malnutrition, defined as the presence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and excess weight/obesity. To this we add the effects on health of microbiological and chemical contamination from pesticide residues, heavy metals, antibiotics, plastics and endocrine disruptors generated by food production systems and the vicious cycle this forms with malnutrition.

A consensus exists on the urgent need to transform food systems in order to improve nutrition and to make healthy, diverse, and micronutrient-rich foods accessible to all. This transformation must also be sustainable, for example by favouring agroecological production, local supply chains, and remunerative economic activities, particularly for women and young people.

All sectors of the food system and all stakeholders will take part in creating more nutritious food

热博体育 scientists and partners recommend action in all sectors of the food system:

Production

By diversifying production systems, selecting nutritionally rich varieties of produce suitable for agroecological farming, while preserving soil and ecosystem health.
"It's about using agrobiodiversity to diversify production systems and thus diet," explains Arlène Alpha, food systems specialist at 热博体育.

"We are identifying and developing varieties of rice naturally rich in micronutrients such as zinc, using participatory approaches involving both producers and consumers in Colombia, Bolivia and Madagascar," explains Cécile Grenier, a researcher in varietal improvement at 热博体育 and project coordinator in rice biofortification.

“Simultaneously, we have been improving production systems, by combining organic fertilizer and soil microorganisms to enrich orange-fleshed cowpea and sweet potato varieties in Senegal and teff in Ethiopia with nutrients such as iron, zinc and vitamin A,” adds Jean-Michel Médoc, agronomist and project Or4Food coordinator.

Varietal selection and agronomic biofortification are two possible ways to accomplish biofortification, which aims to produce micronutrient-enriched food.

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Food processing

By developing products and processes that maximise the micronutrient and bioactive compound content of foods whilst reducing anti-nutritional factors, and respecting the food traditions of each territory.

Traditional diets in Africa, for example, can contribute to nutritional intake using cereal-legume combinations such as fonio and beans, rich in essential amino acids, or by incorporating leaves such as jambu, baobab and okra, which are rich in micronutrients, or whole grains that provide iron, calcium, vitamins and fibre. Fermented foods are also an essential part of diets (e.g. akpan, nunu, fermented milk), rich in probiotics which benefit gut health.

"As part of the FAMA project, we are studying the impact of traditional African foods on human microbiota. In South Africa, agroecological food systems make it possible to promote traditional African foods such as fermented sorghum products, which are highly nutritious and benefit the human microbiota," explains Arlène Alpha.

The has made it possible to design a probiotic cereal food, which could potentially play a role on insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and restore healthy gut microbiota.

Finally, certain traditional African food processing methods have been modernized by the ensuring hygiene and safety whilst respecting their heritage and authenticity.

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Food environments

Ensuring that healthy foods are widely available and affordable, regulating advertising of fatty, sugary, salty, and highly processed foods, and using taxation to promote healthy and sustainable eating practices.

Three-quarters of the global population experiencing moderate and severe food insecurity live in urban areas. Cities therefore play a vital role in the nutritional security of residents.

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Consumption

Using mass catering to promote healthy and sustainable diets.

In both overseas departments and Montpellier, 热博体育 is supporting local authorities with their mass catering food policies. For a decade 热博体育 has been supervising the Ma cantine autrement project in Montpellier, which involves a variety of schemes such as promoting organic and local products, meat-free meals, reducing waste, and so on.

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Four projects involving 热博体育 and the City of Montpellier:

• AfriFOODlinks: An action-research project transforming urban food systems in Africa. AfriFOODlinks is running 25 pilot projects on food environments in 15 African cities.
• WECCO: Working with the Rufisque Council (Senegal) on school catering policy.
• : the effects of food landscapes on the diet of residents of Montpellier, an interdisciplinary research project led by 热博体育 and INRAE  involving the city of Montpellier has looked at food landscapes and their effects on consumer behaviour. It has led to the development of a new foodscape policy (see below).
• : Territoires Alimentaires Solidaires (Food Solidarity Territories). Solidarity between the inhabitants of Montpellier and food-producing regions, and the piloting of a food democracy scheme, with a Citizen Food Committee managing a common food fund and an agreement for points of sale.

热博体育 has also lent its supports to the agroecological and food policies of the City of Montpellier.

The City of Montpellier, a community committed to providing healthy and accessible food

Coordinated public actions and partnerships supporting agroecology and food is a sustainable and integrated response to maintaining agriculture, tackling the climate crisis, biodiversity decline, fragile water resources and food insecurity. Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole has been implementing an Agroecological and Food Policy labelled Territorial Food Project (PAT) for a decade.

The 5 objectives of Montpellier’s agroecological and food policy are:

1. Creating an agroecological environment

> Examples: Montpellier and seven municipalities have committed to creating two voluntary agricultural land associations (AFAs) to pool the management of uncultivated land and facilitate the deployment of agroecological activities for food growing and pastoral purposes.
The Condamine urban farm is developing a organic market gardening and agroforestry project using short-circuit marketing.

2. Creating a sustainable and robust food supply

> Examples: Two public mechanisms also make it possible to support locally-orientated sectors: the and public purchasing for school canteens.

3. Access to high-quality, sustainable food for all

> Examples: Supporting innovative food solidarity projects such as the creation of food-oriented third places like the Maison de l’Alimentation Solidaire or the creation of a (400 testers and 50 approved points of sale).

4. Transferring knowledge, promoting innovation and mobilizing citizens

> Examples of actions taken: Eat As We Sow; the .

5. Facilitating shared governance with all stakeholders in the territorial food system

> Example: .

Together with its scientific partners, the City of Montpellier backs:

• The need for collective "food" expertise for communities to preserve agricultural land and structure local food sectors,
• Sustainable and ambitious financing: redirecting CAP credits towards agroecological practices,
• The implementation of an ambitious national strategy to provide access to quality food for all,
• The mobilization of public procurement, i.e. using mass catering as a mechanism to support short supply chains, organic products and sustainable practices,
• Strengthening the organic sector,
• The extensive funding of local pilot schemes in agroecological and food transition,
• Working with research bodies to create local pilot schemes in a forward-looking “One Health” approach. Breaking down barriers between interdependent issues such as food, the environment, and health is the aim of the MEDVALLÉE initiative, as well as that of the international initiative called  These initiatives were presented at COP16 last October.