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Evidence platform for agrifood systems and nutrition

This FAO evidence platform provides evidence and tools to support governments and stakeholders in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition (VGFSyN) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).

To find relevant documents for a VGFSyN recommendation, select a focus area from the left menu and the sub-focus area of your interest. You will be redirected to a page listing all relevant VGFSyN recommendations. Select a recommendation to access the links to the relevant online documents

Focus Area III
Equal and equitable access to healthy diets through sustainable food systems

This focus area outlines some potential policy entry points to improve physical and economic access, and availability of healthy diets through sustainable food systems in the places where people shop, choose and eat food. Moreover, it provides guidance on the monitoring of new technologies and promoting trends for healthy diets through sustainable food systems.

3.3.1 Improving access to food that contributes to healthy diets

The four digit numbering of each recommendation follows the numbering in the VGFSyN, whereby the first digit represents the chapter 3 of the document that includes the 105 recommendations, the second digit the focus area, the third digit the sub-focus area and the letter the specific recommendation.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.a

    Governments should improve the availability of and access to safe and nutritious food that contributes to healthy diets through sustainable food systems, and ensure that is has a positive impact on the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security, including through trade that should be in accordance with a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable, multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.b

    Governments should take into consideration the guidance developed by [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] FAO and [World Health Organization] WHO to ensure that in times of crisis (e.g. pandemics), the integrity and resilience of food systems are maintained, and adequate and safe food supplies are available and accessible for all people. Governments should recognize the importance of local smallholders and family farmers in this respect.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.c

    In times of crisis, governments should recognize the essential nature of food production, distribution, processing and to keep markets, including local markets, and trade corridors open, to ensure workers’ rights and to maintain continuous functioning of critical aspects of food systems in all countries.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.d

    Governments should take equity and equality into consideration when acting to address food environments and ensure members of vulnerable communities, indigenous peoples and local communities, peasants, pastoralists, small-scale fisher folks, agricultural and food workers, rural and urban women and youth, people with disabilities, and people facing constraints due to age and illness, have sufficient access to diverse food that contribute to healthy diets.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.e

    Governments should minimize barriers so that people can grow, transport, preserve, purchase, order or otherwise access diverse types of foods, including fresh and seasonal foods, that contribute to healthy diets through sustainable food systems in a given food environment. This can be done by, inter alia, instituting rural and urban planning policies, facilitating internet access and innovative service delivery, policies and instruments that encourage retail outlets and local, street and wet markets to sell a variety of safe, affordable nutritious foods that contribute to healthy diets through sustainable food systems, and that promote, as and when appropriate, local production, including home, community, and school food production and gardens, as well as national and international markets where appropriate.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.f

    Governments should examine measures to encourage farmers and fishers markets, mobile food retailers, street food vendors and other retailers that sell a variety of foods, both locally grown and globally sourced, that contribute to healthy diets through sustainable food systems.

  • Recommendation 3.3.1.g

    Governments, in consultation with consumer associations and local residents, can promote local food retailers and markets to increase the number, variety, and sale of sustainably produced safe and nutritious foods, both locally grown and globally sourced, that contribute to healthy diets through sustainable food systems. This can be done by creating local food policy councils to give residents a voice in how best to improve availability, access and affordability of healthy diets in their communities, giving special attention to those people that are most affected by hunger and malnutrition in all its forms.