Compact2025 News in Brief: June 6, 2018

Food and beverage companies step up effort to address nutrition

The 2018 Access to Nutrition Index finds that the world’s largest food and beverage companies have stepped up their efforts to encourage better diets. However, they need to do much more to set transparent nutrition targets, improve the healthiness of their products, comply with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, and develop commercial strategies to tackle undernutrition.

More carbon dioxide could make rice less nutritious

Elevated carbon dioxide levels will alter the protein, micronutrient, and vitamin content of rice grains. These declines in key nutrients have potential health consequences for the poorest rice-dependent countries according to a study released in Science Advances.

Trainings in pre-schools can improve nutrition outcomes

A nutrition and agriculture training program for community-managed rural pre-schools in Malawi showed that it was an effective platform for behavior change and scaling up nutrition and agricultural practices. The dietary intake of both pre-schoolers and their younger siblings improved, according to research from Save the Children, IFPRI, and University of Malawi Chancellor College.

Diversity is fundamental on the farm and on the plate

A discussion paper from the Sustainable Diets for All project argues that agricultural biodiversity and dietary diversity are important, analyzes why they are at risk, and suggests what can be done to foster them.

Engaging adolescents for nutrition, health, and sustainable development

Adolescents play a key role in their families’ diets, agricultural production, and financial resources. Therefore they can be agents of change to improve the health and nutrition of their families, peers, and communities according to a study by the World Food Programme and Anthrologica.

Maternal depression associated with child undernutrition

Maternal depression is significantly associated with both child undernutrition and development delay finds a study by researcher from IFPRI and the World Bank. The results add to the call for practical interventions to address maternal depression to simultaneously address multiple outcomes for both women and children.