In reading the wide variety of comments, it seems that many have a strong interest in one or two particular approaches, and so advocate exclusively for those. I suspect that this is not the path to success. Neither will adopting all approaches at once lead to success. Undoubtedly, it will prove essential to focus efforts in order to achieve sufficient change (in that area of focus) to impact diet. Which begs the question of how to bring that focus, how to evaluate so many different options in a balanced manner and make decisions regarding implementation.
One path, of course, is to ask which of the variety of approaches have measureable and quantifiable outcomes. It strikes me that few, if any, of the comments speak to measurement of success, speak to appropriate metrics. Any plan developed within the context of this initiative will need to be phased in over many years, in various countries, and continue for many years afterward. Constant adaptation of any plan will be critical for long term relevance, and having the right metrics in place is the only path I am aware of that will permit thoughtful adaptation.
For example, practicality must be a pillar of any effort. A home garden (fruits and vegetables) for a family of four and assuming yields typical of the USA (very generous) would require a plot roughly 12m x 12m. In dense urban areas, this is not feasible. However, are community gardens feasible? What are the positive knock-on consequences of such gardens? These questions are intended to highlight the nuance required in determining metrics – sometimes the thing you change is not the thing that best represents the changes made.
As a last comment, multi-national packaged food companies typically impact the food supply in a very small way, perhaps 5% to 10% of the total food supply in a developing nation (compared to more than 75% in developed). Nonetheless, packaged food may still represent a large portion of the diet though the companies making the foods are locally based. If focus is directed solely at multi-nationals, there is risk of missing the lion’s share of the food supply. Any effort must consider all sources of food and beverage entering the food system.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
Richard
Richard Black, PhD
Richard BlackRichard Black