Photo: ©FAO

Ankara – The increasing prevalence of malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases is among the most pressing public health problems in the world. Increasing food literacy addresses this issue by ensuring that consumers have the necessary knowledge to understand and evaluate food- and nutrition-related information. For example, in Türkiye, nearly half of consumers are unaware of the difference between “best before” and “use by” dates on food products. Better food literacy allows consumers to make informed decisions about their food and diet, enabling them to choose and consume safe and healthy food in appropriate amounts.

In order to improve food literacy in Türkiye, FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MoAF) jointly developed a Technical Cooperation Project entitled “Capacity Building on Food Literacy”. The project was closed at a meeting held on 14 December 2022, which also presented the Food Literacy Strategy and Action Plan for Türkiye.

In his opening remarks, Keigo Obara, Food Security Officer at Food and Agriculture Organization, explained that the objective of the project is to understand the current situation of food and nutrition literacy in Türkiye, identify gaps and opportunities, and priority areas and target groups.

Mary Kenny, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, highlighted the importance of multi-stakeholder meetings during the preparation of the Strategy and Action Plan and defined the project as a progressive initiative. Kenny also emphasized the importance of good communication in implementing the new Food Literacy Strategy and Action Plan.

Özge İmamoğlu, Head of Department of International Organizations at MoAF noted the comprehensive nature of the topic, and underlined the importance of cooperation between different ministries and stakeholders. İmamoğlu also stated that the project’s outputs need to be developed to raise awareness about food literacy among consumers.

Following the opening session, Şeniz Ilgaz, FAO National Consultant on Food Literacy, presented the status of food literacy in Türkiye and explained in more detail the development of the Strategy and Action Plan, including background research and existing programmes on food literacy.

Following this presentation, Kıvanç Özcan, FAO Communication Specialist, presented the Communication Plan for the project, and briefed the participants about target groups, relevant communication channels and main messages. 

In the final session of the meeting, under the guidance of Şeniz Ilgaz, representatives of MoAF, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of National Education, academia and NGOs shared their experiences on food literacy curriculum development and communication activities and discussed opportunities for further collaboration.