Unhealthy diets are a major driver of all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. Despite increasing global efforts to address malnutrition, as many as 3 billion people globally cannot afford healthy diets. The need to transform our food systems to ensure sustainable healthy diets for everyone is more urgent than ever. IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report explores evidence-based policies, innovations, and governance solutions to strengthen diet quality and nutrition in low- and middle-income countries, emphasizing the need for diets that benefit both people and the planet.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, the Report examines the impact of recent crises, including food price inflation, as well as long-term constraints that have contributed to the region’s double burden of malnutrition (the presence of both undernutrition and overweight/obesity). It also points to some promising interventions, including nutrition-sensitive and school feeding programs, and longer-term investments in mitigating trade and climate shocks that are needed for sustainable healthy diets. This event brings together experts from research, policymaking, and development domains to discuss the challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable healthy diets in the region.

More about the report

IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report on Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition draws on a substantial body of research on diets, agriculture, and food systems from IFPRI and CGIAR, in partnership with colleagues around the world. It explores how demand-side approaches can support healthy dietary choices, the need to invest in improving affordability, and ways to strengthen food environments to support healthy diets. The report also highlights supply-side approaches to improve diets, including increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and assessing the role of animal-source foods, and discusses how effective governance can help achieve change. For each of the world’s major regions, the report identifies critical challenges and opportunities for contextually relevant actions to deliver healthy diets and nutrition for all.

IFPRI Participants

• Sikandra Kurdi, Research Fellow and Country Program Leader, Egypt, IFPRI
• Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy, CGIAR and IFPRI
• Kibrom Abay, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Linda Steinhuebel-Rasheed, Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Ali Abdelhadi, Senior Communications Specialist, IFPRI