In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a steady increase in the consumption of ultra-processed food with high levels of fat, sugar, and salt has contributed to an adult overweight rate of over 50% and an obesity rate of 23%. Further, in the last 40 years, children’s obesity worldwide has increased ten-fold. The overweight and obesity epidemic in childhood and adolescence will be a major determinant of the future health of large segments of the world’s vulnerable populations. These trends are associated with the increase of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that are among the leading causes of death in almost every country of the LAC region.
This project aims to establish and sustain a community of practice to improve food systems and prevent NCDs in Latin America. It will promote collaborative learning among individuals and organizations involved in the development and use of evidence for improving sustainable, healthy diets across populations. It will reinforce international cooperation, strengthen research and advocacy tools, and establish inter-country and multi-actor knowledge hubs to address common food systems challenges in the region. A strong emphasis on gender analysis will strengthen the quality of research and related policy implications.
A regional strategy to significantly improve standards on front-of-package labeling will be developed as a pilot. Institutions leading sub-regional hubs will coordinate priority knowledge and action lines and collaborate with countries with less experience in order to strengthen multi-actor research and advocacy capacities and policy awareness.
Five institutions, mostly led by women researchers, will launch the regional community of practice: the Brazilian Institute for Consumers’ Defense, the Inter-American Heart Foundation, the Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (Chile), the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (Argentina), and the National Institute of Public Health (Mexico). Each partner has individual strengths and a strong record of achievement in generating evidence, raising public awareness, and influencing policies for healthier food systems.
WWF Global Action Platform for Sustainable Consumption and Diets : final report appendixes 11 to 20 - Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor Paper This document is a script for the speakers in the WWF Global Action Platform for Sustainable Consumption and Diets meeting. Author(s): Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor |
WHO Noncommunicable Disease Lab (NCD Lab) : online submission form questions Brief The NCD Lab is a virtual initiative, a platform, that supports and encourages submission of innovative solutions to accelerate progress towards achieving the NCD and NCD related sustainable development goals (SDGs). This document contains the questions that are included in the online submission form. Author(s): Paula Bortoletto, Ana, Giuberti Coutinho, Janine, Longhi, Lorenza |
Towards a community of practice : a way to improve research, advocacy and policy in healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean Report This project aimed to create a Community of Practice to strengthen research and advocacy tools and regional capacities in the field of healthy diets, non communicable diseases prevention, health promotion and sustainable food systems, by fostering collaboration and cooperation among correlated sectors, across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC region). This final report presents considerations about the activities developed by all institutions included in the project, highlighting those related to the construction of Colansa's governance and institutional development. Colansa was launched in March 2021, and has organized 8 member meetings, online consultations, and open spaces for interactions among the members. Until July 2022, 20 organizations and 169 individuals are members. The activities and strategies developed by all partners played a key role in establishing common values and visions about what we aspire to as food systems that promote health, contribute to the environment and social justice in the region. By developing the capacity building sessions, it was possible to strengthen research and advocacy tools and regional capacities to address the priority action lines of the CoP. The elaboration of the conceptual framework on gender perspective for projects contributed to embed gender analysis and promote women empowerment as part of the regional research and advocacy agenda of the CoP. A series of advocacy and communication activities were developed in order to improve a regional strategy on front-of-package nutrition labeling, as a model of collaboration for other priority action lines. Colansa shares the understanding that structural changes are needed in food systems and that the LAC region has great potential to contribute regarding public policy innovation. Colansa is becoming an active and knowledgeable community, bringing relevant topics for discussion and subsequent propositions of strategies, insights, experiences, synergistic opportunities and useful connections for diverse, but related stakeholders. Author(s): Mais, Laís Amaral, Longhi, Lorenza, Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto, Rigi, Camilla, Coutinho, Janine Giuberti |
Towards a community of practice : a way to improve research, advocacy and policy in healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean Report Author(s): Mais, Amaral Laís, Longhi, Lorenza, Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto, Rigi, Camilla, Coutinho, Janine Giuberti |
Towards a community of practice : a way to improve research, advocacy and policy in healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean Report This project aims to establish and sustain a community of practice for healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean to encourage collaborative learning and quality information exchange among different individuals, groups and organizations involved with research and/or advocacy. The goal is to provide new forms of engagement and networking and to reinforce international cooperation to promote healthier food systems and prevent non‐communicable diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This report outlines the project’s rationale, objectives, methodology, and outputs. Author(s): Irazola, Vilma, Elorriaga, Natalia |
Towards a community of practice : a way to improve research, advocacy and policy in healthy food systems in Latin America and the Caribbean (final report CIAPEC-INTA team) Report The current project had the objective of creating a community of practice to strengthen research and advocacy tools and regional capacities, enhance collaboration across the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. We report in specific of the sub-objective of creating the Front-of-Package labelling hub as the first experience to organize priority lines of the community. We have +50 participants of the hub from several countries and professions and conducted 4 meetings over 10 months. Using a participatory approach, we were able to develop norms and objectives of the hub, discuss and participate in relevant regional discussions on the topic, including a research conference, seminars, and technical meetings; we created research and advocacy tools, and we are in the process of generating a with a multi-country data set on food composition. The work of the hub involved students and as a hub we actively participated in activities of capacity building such as the Leadership Program in Nutrition. We believe this experience builds the foundations for creating new hubs in the community of practice in the next years and shows that it is possible to establish inter-country and multi-actor knowledge hubs to work together with advocates on critical topics for promoting food systems transformation in the region. Author(s): Ortega, Alejandra, Toleantino, Lizbeth, Corvalán, Camila |