Food Systems

Building a healthier future through better food environments

Our current food systems are failing us. Multinational corporations dominate, producing unhealthy foods that are highly profitable, heavily marketed and widely accessible. These products, often ultra-processed and high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, contribute to rising obesity rates. The power imbalances between commercial and public health actors create ‘obesogenic’ food environments where healthier options are less desirable, less accessible and less affordable.

Our call to action

To transform our food systems, we need:

Stronger government regulations:

• Implementation of fiscal policies like taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce consumption of unhealthy products.
• Mandatary front-of-pack nutrition labelling and nutrient declarations to enable healthier choices.
• Enforcement of marketing restrictions on unhealthy foods, especially those targeting children.
• Policies to incentivise food manufacturers to reduce harmful ingredients and improve the nutritional quality of their products.

Equitable access to healthy food:

• Support for breastfeeding through protection, promotion, and workplace policies.
• Healthy public food procurement and service policies in schools, workplaces, and public institutions.
• Reformulation of food and beverage products to meet healthy diet standards.

By advocating for healthier food environments, we can reduce the rise in obesity rates, improve public health, and create systems where nutritious food is the easy choice for everyone.