Skip to main content
Knowledge4Policy
KNOWLEDGE FOR POLICY

Supporting policy with scientific evidence

We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.

Publication | 2021

Food Systems Policy Tool - A tool to help governments deliver healthier diets and sustainable food systems

The Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition has developed a Food Systems Policy Tool to support the delivery of national nutrition strategies. It is designed to help bridge the policy gap between those who create food, nutrition and agricultural policies and those responsible for implementing those policies.

The tool provides a framework designed to stimulate country-level dialogue and support the development of realistic public and private sector actions. It is also designed to support a more coordinated approach to ensuring food systems are delivering sustainable, accessible and affordable high-quality diets for all.

The tool addresses malnutrition in all its forms in the broader context of climate change, environmental deterioration, human health and diet quality, and aims to support the implementation of integrated national strategies on the ground.

The Food Systems Policy Tool comprises six steps to enable the user to consider the evidence, data, organisations, policies, regulations, partnerships and programmes relevant to their setting. User should sequentially work through Steps 1 to 6, using the guide questions, actions and associated options to formulate a better understanding of the issue and prioritise actions.

Step 1

It consists of an initial scoping exercise and engage with community groups and relevant stakeholders (academic, industry, government, civil society), to identify the most feasible diet quality objective.

Steps 2 and 3

These steps aim to produce a background paper and evidence package containing the nutrition situation analysis; food systems-related policies and programmes; and evidence of implementation. The paper could also identify the initial policy options for deliberation.

Step 4

This step aims to agree on a list of prioritised cross-government actions. Where possible, actions should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound) with clear ownership and governance.

Step 5

This step aims to establish a process, with governance arrangements and allocated responsibilities, for coordinating the policy actions and interventions agreed in Step 4. The use of existing multi-sector governance frameworks should be prioritised.

Step 6

During this step, a report that includes the list of actions from Steps 4 and 5, each with a responsible owner from the relevant government department should be drafted. It should identify barriers to adopting change, as well as long-term risks (e.g. climate change effects and food price volatility). Formal plans to monitor and measure impact should also be included. The report should aim to demonstrate cross-departmental support for a more coordinated approach to ensuring food systems are delivering sustainable, accessible and affordable high-quality diets for all.

1