Across Southeast Asia, the double burden of malnutrition—hunger and micronutrient deficiencies, plus overweight and obesity—is widely evident, and is driven by unhealthy diets. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy diets, but consumption of these healthy foods falls well below recommended levels across the region. The drivers of poor diets include the relatively high cost of nutrient-rich foods as a result of local production and limited trade, food environments that favor highly processed foods, and consumer preferences and knowledge about diets. These complex drivers highlight the urgency of transforming food systems to support sustainable healthy diets.

This day-long event, hosted by DOST-FNRI and the CGIAR Research Initiative on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (FRESH), will explore findings and recommendations for the region from research conducted by FRESH and from IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition.

The morning session will focus on key findings from the FRESH Initiative in the Philippines, with presentations from researchers on consumer behavior and food environments, food supply chain issues, and strengthening the food policy environment. Presentations will be followed by a discussion with partners and stakeholders focused on in increasing production, distribution, and consumption of fruits and vegetables in the Philippines.

The afternoon session will present findings from the Global Food Policy Report on demand-side solutions, food environments for better nutrition, and regional priorities for improving diets and nutrition. A high-level panel will follow, with participants from the Philippine government and others providing reflections on challenges ahead and a promising set of solutions with potential to improve diets.

More about FRESH

The CGIAR Initiative on Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets, also known as FRESH, is using an end-to-end approach to increase fruit and vegetable intake and in turn improve diet quality, nutrition, and health, while also improving livelihoods, empowering women and youth, and mitigating environmental impacts. FRESH is conducting research in the Philippines, Benin, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

More about the Global Food Policy Report

IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report: 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

• Deanna Olney, Lead, CGIAR-FRESH Initiative; Director, Nutrition, Diets, and Health (NDH), IFPRI
• Neha Kumar, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Phuong Hong Nguyen, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI