Compact2025 News in Brief: July 11, 2019

Effective behavior change interventions for nutrition in Ethiopia

A study in the Journal of Nutrition examines the impact of behavior change interventions to improve child feeding and nutrition in Ethiopia. The Alive & Thrive program used four platforms for delivery: 1) interpersonal communication, 2) nutrition-sensitive agricultural activities, 3) community mobilization, and 4) mass media. These interventions were feasible and effective, resulting in improvements in complementary feeding practices and child stunting within a 2-year period.

Unpacking the links between nutrition and the SDGs

The UN Network for Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) has published a brief unpacking the links between nutrition and the Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights how nutrition is directly embedded into 12 of the 17 SDGs, making it both a maker and marker of sustainable development.

Food environments: Where people meet the food system

The 44^th edition of the United Nations Systems Standing Committee on Nutrition’s flagship publication, UNSCN Nutrition, explores the contexts in which consumers engage with the food system to make their decisions about acquiring, preparing, and consuming food, and the impact of such food environments on their final dietary choices. The publication includes an opening article by IFPRI Director General Shenggen Fan describing how healthy and sustainable food environments can be created using several of the strategies outlined in the EAT-Lancet Commission report.

Regional issue of Nutrition Exchange on maternal nutrition in South Asia

The Emergency Nutrition Network and UNICEF have published the first regional issue of Nutrition Exchange and explore in nine articles how South Asian countries are working on policy and programming initiatives to improve the nutritional care of women across the region.

Rethinking food policy for the 21^st century

The Center for Food Policy at the City University of London has developed two briefs as part of a new series on “Rethinking Food Policy: A Fresh Approach to Policy and Practice”: 1) “Tackling food systems challenges: the role of food policy” sets out ten steps needed for food policy to provide better solutions to food systems challenges, and 2) “Understanding the food system: Why it matters for food policy” looks at the food system and a fresh approach to food policy.

The Rohingya: Displacement, Deprivation, and Policy

An IFPRI issue brief assesses how displaced Rohingya and their host communities in Bangladesh are faring in terms of employment, health, access to assistance, and general wellbeing. It concludes that malnutrition remains unacceptably high, and in the absence of employment opportunities, many Rohingya are forced to rely on negative coping strategies such as borrowing money to buy food.

Biofortification to address micronutrient deficiencies

The latest issue of Cereal Foods World showcases in two articles the power of biofortification in improving nutrition and health and the process of developing and disseminating these health-boosting crops and foods: 1) The first explores the historical journey to identify and harness the potential of enhancing the vitamin A and zinc content of wheat and maize to address related micronutrient deficiencies, while 2) the second article focuses on the collaboration with policymakers and food and seed companies to sustain and increase the positive impact of biofortification.