Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context

Nowadays, the world has been characterized by hunger, obesity, and food loss and waste (FLW). With the COVID-19 pandemic, the food issue became more intense, serious, and evident. Hunger demands urgent actions. Obesity levels have been raised and are removing health and quality of life from the popu...

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Main Authors: Alessandra Amorim, Ana de Holanda Barbosa, Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Nutrition
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.805569/full
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author Alessandra Amorim
Ana de Holanda Barbosa
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
author_facet Alessandra Amorim
Ana de Holanda Barbosa
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
author_sort Alessandra Amorim
collection DOAJ
description Nowadays, the world has been characterized by hunger, obesity, and food loss and waste (FLW). With the COVID-19 pandemic, the food issue became more intense, serious, and evident. Hunger demands urgent actions. Obesity levels have been raised and are removing health and quality of life from the population. Production planting practices and the food supply chain are not necessarily ecologically friendly. Sustainability issues greatly intensify social problems. As well as food loss (FL), food waste (FW), and sustainability concerns, obesity, and malnutrition are enhanced due to the lack of knowledge by the population. Processed food (PF), packaging, and additives, despite still needing improvement, are essential to food security control. Nowadays, hunger is not due to insufficient agricultural practices but rather to inequality and absence of adequate public policies. In the context of a certain abundance of food production and processing, the hunger scenario in contrast to FLW is an ethical, social, moral, and sustainable issue. In this context, a Food-Based Dietary Guideline (FBDG) can be an important public policy tool from the health, nutrition, environmental, and educational points of view. Despite the effort, the literature shows that FBDGs can be better used to fulfill healthiness and sustainability purposes. In this scenario, the elaboration/revision of the FBDG, adopting a clearer, simpler, and a better-suited communication strategy is essential. In this way, this article discusses the importance of the FBDG as a public policy tool, not only regarding health issues but also communication strategies, production sustainability, and humanitarian ones, which are crucial to FBDG's efficiency.
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spelling doaj.art-7f5a754a45a945f8b3db9ff400300a6c2022-12-21T19:29:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2022-01-01810.3389/fnut.2021.805569805569Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World ContextAlessandra Amorim0Ana de Holanda Barbosa1Paulo José do Amaral Sobral2Paulo José do Amaral Sobral3Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, BrazilInstitute for Applied Economic Research, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilDepartment of Food Engineering, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, BrazilFood Research Center, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilNowadays, the world has been characterized by hunger, obesity, and food loss and waste (FLW). With the COVID-19 pandemic, the food issue became more intense, serious, and evident. Hunger demands urgent actions. Obesity levels have been raised and are removing health and quality of life from the population. Production planting practices and the food supply chain are not necessarily ecologically friendly. Sustainability issues greatly intensify social problems. As well as food loss (FL), food waste (FW), and sustainability concerns, obesity, and malnutrition are enhanced due to the lack of knowledge by the population. Processed food (PF), packaging, and additives, despite still needing improvement, are essential to food security control. Nowadays, hunger is not due to insufficient agricultural practices but rather to inequality and absence of adequate public policies. In the context of a certain abundance of food production and processing, the hunger scenario in contrast to FLW is an ethical, social, moral, and sustainable issue. In this context, a Food-Based Dietary Guideline (FBDG) can be an important public policy tool from the health, nutrition, environmental, and educational points of view. Despite the effort, the literature shows that FBDGs can be better used to fulfill healthiness and sustainability purposes. In this scenario, the elaboration/revision of the FBDG, adopting a clearer, simpler, and a better-suited communication strategy is essential. In this way, this article discusses the importance of the FBDG as a public policy tool, not only regarding health issues but also communication strategies, production sustainability, and humanitarian ones, which are crucial to FBDG's efficiency.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.805569/fullultra-processed foodsprocessed foodssustainabilityfood wastefood lossfood classifications
spellingShingle Alessandra Amorim
Ana de Holanda Barbosa
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
Paulo José do Amaral Sobral
Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
Frontiers in Nutrition
ultra-processed foods
processed foods
sustainability
food waste
food loss
food classifications
title Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
title_full Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
title_fullStr Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
title_full_unstemmed Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
title_short Hunger, Obesity, Public Policies, and Food-Based Dietary Guidelines: A Reflection Considering the Socio-Environmental World Context
title_sort hunger obesity public policies and food based dietary guidelines a reflection considering the socio environmental world context
topic ultra-processed foods
processed foods
sustainability
food waste
food loss
food classifications
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.805569/full
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