Food and Agriculture Archives

FAO Engages Private Sector in Run-Up to International Nutrition Conference

Published on June 25, 2014

foodsMalnutrition affects over half the global population, undermining growth and perpetuating poverty. Fighting malnutrition continues to be a high priority on the international agenda, and the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) this November in Rome will set the stage for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s call for global action on nutrition.

In the lead-up to ICN2, a broad and diverse delegation of private sector representatives participated in a global debate on nutrition on June 20 with UN member countries in Rome, where the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is headquartered.

“We, as our civil society colleagues have indicated, want to underscore the importance of making non-state actors, such as the private sector and civil society, a full partner in the preparation for, and attendance at the ICN2,” wrote JB Cordaro, chairman of the International Agri-Food Network, who delivered a statement with input from several food and agriculture private-sector organizations at the meeting.

The FAO Director General, Graziano da Silva, welcomed the private sector’s input and noted that “the participation of non-state actors is critical for the success of any development process.” Business representatives will have an opportunity to make statements to governments at the ICN2 in November.

The June 20 meeting was a success, with governments supporting business’s role in the lead-up to the November conference, and it marks the first time the FAO actively engaged with the private sector apart from online consultations, according to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation.

Following on this meeting’s success, the private sector has been offered the opportunity to present at a similar event at the World Health Organization in Geneva on July 15.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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USCIB Helps Prepare for Global Nutrition Conference

Published on May 21, 2014

4739_image001More than half the world’s population is adversely affected by malnutrition, which undermines economic growth and perpetuates poverty. For this reason, nutrition continues to be high on the international agenda and an important topic of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda.

The Second International Conference on Nutrition, which will take place November 19-21 in Rome, will contribute to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s call for a high degree of policy coherence at global, regional, national and sub-national levels, and a global partnership for development at all levels.

According to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, the conference will review progress made towards improving nutrition since 1992, reflect on remaining nutrition problems – as well as on the new challenges and opportunities for improving nutrition presented by changes in the global economy, in food systems, and by advances in science and technology. Participants will seek to identify policy options for improving nutrition.

“While governments can pursue policies to encourage solutions to malnutrition, USCIB continues to point out that the private sector is also an important actor to implementing those policies,” Medina said.

To underscore the importance of the private sector in issues related to nutrition and the agriculture sector in general, Medina was in Rome last week to meet with U.S. and foreign government officials at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The meeting included a discussion with the Committee on Food Security’s Chair, Ambassador Gerda Verburg of the Netherlands. The second day of meetings featured dialogues with 48 different country representatives including the African Regional Group, the Near East Group, Russia, the European Union, Denmark, Iceland, Japan, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina.

As a delegate in these groups, Medina  was able to advocate for business and industry participation at the upcoming International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2). She also highlighted that ICN2 should recognize the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition through innovative products, scientific and technological know-how, and improved production and management practices. USCIB also advocates for the following:

  • Developing the economy, including promoting women’s role in the economy, is important.
  • The private sector can play a critical role in further strengthening markets, spurring economic growth and improving livelihoods.

In addition to these meetings, Medina delivered a statement on behalf of the private sector on “food waste”. During her intervention on this topic, Medina emphasized that the private sector has an objective to reduce waste in order to reap the greatest potential from limited input resources. In addition, any actions for addressing food waste or loss are directed towards the entire food chain, rather than isolated parts.

Innovation should also be encouraged since innovative technologies or solutions are of value, she said. Global initiatives for addressing food waste or loss should be adapted to local circumstances. Consumers need to be educated about food waste and loss, especially in schools and by government-driven campaigns regarding proper storage and preparation of food, as well as by the interpretation of “best before” and “use by” labels. Governments should encourage private investment and public-private partnerships in improving infrastructure and storage facilities, especially in developing countries. However, this requires an enabling environment for investment.

Finally, Medina emphasized that closer linkages between farmers and processors, particularly in developing countries, must be fostered; thus governments can create a better environment to provide investment in the food industry so that local farmers can address supply chain issues. Meanwhile, ensuring trade and market access is efficient and effective to get food to where it is needed.

USCIB members attending the meeting included McDonald’s and Monsanto.

 

Staff contact: Helen Medina

 

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USCIB Is Gearing Up for This Year’s Big UN Nutrition Conference

Published on March 21, 2014

foodsThe Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) will take place from November 19 to 21 in Rome with the participation of heads of state and government. Organized by two UN specialized agencies, the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, the event will address major nutrition challenges over the coming decades.

According to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director of product policy and innovation, the conference is expected to result in a concise, action-oriented outcome document, identifying public policy priorities at the national and global levels to address malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, with a view to achieving agreed global nutrition targets by 2025.

“This will be a watershed event, the first high-level intergovernmental conference on nutrition since the First International Conference on Nutrition was organized by FAO and WHO in 1992,” Medina said. “That conference resulted in a World Declaration and Plan of Action for Nutrition which called on governments to take action toward improved nutrition at the national level, and to establish institutional infrastructure to implement these plans.” She said two documents are expected to come out of the ICN2: a high-level outcome document and a more detailed framework of action for its implementation.

Fostering the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition

Medina attended last year’s technical meeting that lay the groundwork for the conference. This year, USCIB continues its involvement in the preparations for ICN2, including by highlighting how the private sector is contributing to nutrition through the FAO online consultation on the draft outcome document. Click here to read USCIB’s comments.

In its comments, USCIB recommended that the document recognize the private sector’s contributions to improved nutrition through innovative products, scientific and technological know-how, and improved production and management practices. These can all be increasingly harnessed through effective partnerships with research institutions, farmers, policy-makers and civil society, USCIB said.

Furthermore, the private sector can play a critical role in further strengthening markets, spurring economic growth and improving livelihoods, USCIB said. The comments observed that, while private-sector involvement is critical, there is also a need for government collaboration, particularly in helping to ensure sensible policies, such as reducing barriers to trade, that do not impede the private sector’s potential contributions to the shared societal goal of improved nutrition.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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FAO Principles for Responsible Agriculture Investment

Published on March 5, 2014

FAO BuildingsHelen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, has been working with the International Agri-Food Network (IAFN) to provide input into the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) set of Principles for Responsible Agriculture Investment (RAI) in the context of food security and nutrition.

The objective of the principles, as requested by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), is to promote responsible investments in agriculture and food systems that contribute to food security and nutrition and support the progressive realization of the right to adequate food in the context of national food security. The principles address all stakeholders that are involved in, benefit from, or are affected by investments in food systems.

Most recently, Medina posted comments on behalf of USCIB to the FAO’s Forum on Food Security and Nutrition. USCIB will continue to monitor progress, as well as provide comments to the Committee on World Food Security’s consultative process, in conjunction with its partner, the IAFN. The Committee on Food Security’s RAI principles will be presented and negotiated at a plenary session in May in Rome.

Thus far, USCIB has made several recommendations in regards to the agriculture investment principles, including on the role of the private sector, and in the areas of investment and the environment, and monitoring and evaluation of implementation of principles. USCIB has had concerns in regards to the monitoring and evaluation, as well as the roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, the principles do not address the question of who will monitor progress, or whether there will be an entity to which companies and countries will report.

USCIB supports the following messages:

  • The principles should be forward thinking and encourage the right actions in a manner that respects the broad diversity of the agri-food system.
  • One investment cannot achieve all things. For instance, we want to encourage linking to smallholders, but not every investment is in primary production. It may be further down the value chain or it may not be particularly relevant in that geography.
  • Environmental impacts of investment projects should be assessed and measures taken to encourage sustainable resource use while minimizing the risk of negative impacts and mitigating them.
  • Good governance structures are required; domestic markets and foreign investment require the same conducive operating environment, including: peace and stability, the rule of law, good governance with accountability and transparency, the absence of corruption, adequate infrastructure, an educated workforce, clear property rights, open markets and trade, and enforceable contracts.
  • Clearly articulated national priorities for development can help guide investment and assess the most suited investment proposals.
  • Investments should take place in: sustainable agricultural practices; rural infrastructure, storage capacities and related technologies; research and development on sustainable agricultural technologies; developing strong agricultural cooperatives and value chains; reducing post-harvest and other food losses and waste throughout the food supply chain.
  • All stakeholders involved and affected by large scale investments should be part of the consultation and assessment process.
  • Both public and private sector investment can contribute to develop a robust agricultural sector and value chain – both need the same conducive operating environment, offering predictability, transparency, accountability, and stability.

 

Staff contacts: Helen Medina

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Business Will Be at the Table in Lead-Up to Global Nutrition Conference

Published on November 15, 2013

28 July 2006, Rome - A general view of FAO Headquarters.USCIB is participating in preparatory meetings for the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), which will take place in the fall of 2014, at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s headquarters in Rome. The conference will be convened by FAO and the World Health Organization. Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation, sends along the following report from the field.

During the meetings, delegates discussed the lessons learned from implementing nutrition-enhancing policies for the food system, economic development and poverty alleviation. They further debated which policies should be implemented to advance nutrition goals and address challenges such as malnutrition, “over-nutrition,” and non-communicable diseases – including those related to obesity – that are impacting countries at various stages of development.

Medina and other business representatives have met with government delegates from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as with David Nabarro, the UN’s special representative on food security. The core business message underscores the private sector’s know-how in the areas of innovation, science and technology, as well as good production and management practices. This expertise can increasingly be harnessed through effective partnerships with research institutions, farmers, policymakers and civil society.

Furthermore, the private sector plays a critical role in further strengthening markets, economic growth and livelihoods, Medina said. While private-sector involvement is key, there is also a need for government collaboration, particularly in helping ensure greater policy coherence, such as reducing barriers to trade.

Initially, USCIB and other business groups were only invited to the first two days of preparatory meetings, but not to the closing session, which takes place today. However, several government delegates and civil society representatives expressed concern at this decision, saying the meeting needed to be inclusive and transparent during the plenary sessions and the overall process.

Medina said many delegates, including those from the Netherlands and Germany, emphasized that a multi-stakeholder approach – including the private sector and civil society – is needed to deal with today’s nutrition challenges, and that these groups should not be excluded from any part of the ICN2 technical discussion or any further talks on the subject.

In response to this strong reaction from the member countries in support for all stakeholders to be included, FAO and WHO reversed their decision and announced Thursday evening that all stakeholders would be able to take part in final discussions to prepare for ICN2.

As business representatives got ready to deliver a statement to the final day of discussions, Medina said the private sector applauded the decision. She said business has worked throughout the meetings to press for ICN2 organizers to develop mechanisms for the private sector to work with other stakeholders to map out a “farm to fork food system,” and to identify ways the private sector can utilize its tools, capabilities and expertise to contribute to advancing global nutrition.

Medina reports that the conference concluded today with a commitment by the FAO and WHO to propose a roadmap leading to ICN2 in November 2014 that will be inclusive of all stakeholders.

Key Results

The Rome meeting, which had the overall goal of preparing for ICN2 next year, reaffirmed the following:

  • ICN2 participants will need to build a common vision for nutrition at all levels.
  • Building institutional capacity and building nutrition as a national priority across all government sectors is needed.
  • Better data is needed for better policy making.
  • Inserting the idea of better nutrition along the value chain is important.
  • Aligning nutrition priorities with the priorities of a government’s food and agriculture system is key.

Steps that can be taken at the national and local level include:

  • Experimenting with different approaches to finding solutions.
  • Government should put emphasis on small scale projects that can be scaled up.

Outcomes of the meeting:

  • Member states have requested that they be more involved in the ICN2 process going forward.
  • In the next several weeks, the WHO/FAO will produce a “road map” for the process going forward.
  • The preparatory meeting did not fully review all the information that has been generated on the topic of nutrition.
  • The ICN2 process needs to take into account all stakeholders including the private sector and civil society.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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The Private Sectors Contributions to Improved Nutrition

Published on September 30, 2013

4608_image001Last week, USCIB submitted comments to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition on the contribution of the private sector and civil society to improve nutrition. This online consultation will feed into the Second International Conference on Nutrition Preparatory Technical Meeting (November 13-15 in Rome).

In the submission, USCIB stressed that advancing health and nutrition requires a multi-stakeholder approach that reflects the complexities of the issues. There is no quick or simple solution to addressing challenges such as obesity, under-nutrition and disease, we said.  While we believe that the private sector has a role in producing healthy and nutritious food, it is equally important to address issues that impact the community’s ability to thrive such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, water access and sustainable agriculture.

It is within this context that USCIB shared some examples of programs and approaches that reflect this complex reality. The submission highlights several successful private sector initiatives already in place, including programs by Coca-Cola, CropLife, General Mills, McDonalds, Monsanto, Nestle, and PepsiCo.

“USCIB believes that private-sector know-how in the areas of innovation, science and technology, as well as good production and management practices, can be increasingly harnessed through effective partnerships with research institutions, farmers, policy-makers, and civil society,” according to Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director for product policy and innovation

“Furthermore, the private sector plays a critical role in further strengthening markets, economic growth and livelihoods. While private sector involvement is key, there is also a need for government collaboration, particularly in helping ensure greater policy coherence, such as reducing barriers to trade.”

The Rome meeting will be a high-level ministerial conference which will seek to propose a flexible policy framework to adequately address the major nutrition challenges of the next decades. It will also seek to identify priorities for international cooperation on nutrition in the near and medium-term.

 

Staff contact: Helen Medina

 

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USCIB Weighs in on Nutrition Enhancing Agriculture and Food Systems

Published on August 5, 2013

foodsAccess to high-quality, reliable food supplies is a major challenge for the 21st century. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently announced that the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), a high-level ministerial conference to address the major nutrition challenges of the next decades through proposing a flexible policy framework and identifying priorities for international cooperation, will take place in November 2014 at its Rome headquarters.

A preparatory meeting will be held this coming November to identify themes to be addressed at the ICN2 conference. USCIB has contributed to an online FAO discussion to prepare for this fall’s meeting. The discussion, “Nutrition-enhancing agriculture and food systems,” was created to share evidence and exchange views on ways to improve policies, programs, interventions and methods of evaluation for making agriculture and food systems more responsive to nutrition, especially for the poorest and most nutritionally vulnerable.

From the broadest perspective, USCIB recommended that the FAO create a more targeted, formal approach to engaging with stakeholders, including the private sector. We also emphasized:

  • the importance of developing an effective nutrition policy based on scientific evidence
  • the potential for the private sector to contribute to a more nutrition-enhancing food system by innovating and investing in the food and agriculture sector
  • the role of food systems in focusing on food safety, quality and assurance
  • the necessity of preserving natural resources for continued food growth
  • the importance of empowering women and girls, and
  • coordination across government ministries working with the private sector and civil society to create effective and efficient nutrition policies.

On nutrition policy, USCIB emphasized that scientific evidence is necessary for effective interventions, in order to minimize unintended consequences. In this regard, data on each population’s nutrition and food preferences is essential, as are the appropriate institutional arrangements to best support coordination between government, the private sector and civil society in implementing these strategies. Because the private sector is important in achieving a more nutrition-enhancing food system by innovating and investing in the food and agricultural sector, policies that promote innovation and efficiency across the supply chain are necessary to help address future challenges relating to increased policy coherence, as well as constrained resources and greater demand.

USCIB’s submission recommended that nutrition programs focus on the accessibility of safe food products, and that food companies provide the information to ensure safety. Information regarding nutrition education based on scientific evidence should be outlined by international standards to allow consumers to make healthy choices. Socially and economically empowering women and girls is also important, so that they can make educated, healthy choices for their households

On the preservation of natural resources to ensure continued food growth, USCIB urged the FAO to promote food systems that protect natural resources, as well as careful end-to-end management throughout the supply chain to address population increases, climate change and insufficient water availability. In this area, the private sector plays an important role in research and development, innovation and supply chain management. Nestlé’s Rural Development Framework is an example of how the private sector invests in the development of farmers and their livelihood, while Coca-Cola’s Sustainable Agriculture Guiding Principals set expectations for ingredient suppliers to address sustainability challenges specific to agriculture.

On promoting partnership opportunities across sectors, USCIB highlights the work that the food and beverage industry has engaged in with the WHO’s 2004 Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (Global Strategy), and most recently the WHO Global Action Plan on NCDs (2013-2020) and the monitoring framework. Cooperation between governments and the food and beverage industry is necessary to the adoption of a multi-sector approach to addressing nutrition challenges.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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Private-Sector Approaches to Reducing Food Waste

Published on July 8, 2013

foodsRecognizing that approximately one third or more of food is lost or wasted every year globally, the private sector is proactively working to address this major challenge throughout the food chain. A recent Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD paper, entitled BIAC Perspectives on Private Sector Solutions to Food Waste and Loss, argues that tackling food waste is a win-win approach: the private sector benefits through increased productivity and economic returns, while at the same time food security, economic growth and development are all strengthened.

However, in order to scale-up and incentivize private sector-led solutions, the BIAC paper underlines that the right enabling policy conditions need to be put in place. It will be crucial to reach a workable definition of food waste and loss, while also improving consistency in data collection around the world.

BIAC’s paper was submitted to an OECD event on June 20-21 entitled Food Waste Along the Supply Chain, as a contribution to ongoing OECD work to collect and harmonize international data on food waste.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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Greening the Agro-Food Chain: Better Policies Are Needed

Published on May 2, 2013

4497_image002Last week in Paris, business executives and government policy makers held their first OECD workshop on how to make the agro-food chain greener and more sustainable for all.

The topic of green growth in the food and agriculture sector was at the core of discussions – organized by the OECD secretariat and BIAC, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD, part of USCIB’s global network – which were held under the banner of “Green Growth in the Agro-food Chain: What Role for the Private Sector?”

A number of USCIB members joined Helen Medina, USCIB’s senior director of product policy and innovation, at the workshop. Participants agreed that business is the leading driver of agricultural productivity and resource efficiency, but that sound policies are necessary pre-requisites in order to realize the full potential of greening the agro-food chain.

The growing challenges facing the sector were addressed, such as climate change, rising demand for food, shifting diets, soil degradation and competing demands for vital resources such as water. These challenges oblige the sector to do more with less – i.e., increase agricultural productivity to meet growing demand, but in a sustainable manner.

USCIB members highlighted several areas that OECD governments can work on to promote sustainability, including:

  • long-term, fact-based, risk-based, predictable and interpretable regulatory processes
  • good governance and well-functioning institutions (notably to protect intellectual property and land rights)
  • international and cross-discipline collaborations in the area of R&D and opportunities for international cooperation in basic research
  • closer cooperation between the public and private sector
  • fostering trade and investment liberalization to facilitate the development and diffusion of technology
  • increasing access to financial services in rural areas and for farmers in order to increase capital investment
  • an overall enabling policy framework that provides adequate incentives to create and adopt new technologies in all areas.

“We must collectively look at the problems to identify and answer the questions.” said Denise Knight, director of sustainable agriculture with The Coca-Cola Company, In remarks to the workshop. “Coke’s business strategy includes taking a holistic and integrated approach that recognizes the value of the services provided by intact ecosystems. We believe in working with partners across sectors, business, government, and civil society, to share our expertise and work on coordinated approaches to resolve problems. But, we also look to governments to reduce trade barriers and streamline the regulatory environments so that we can fully realize our strategy for sustainability.”

Other participating USCIB members included Croplife USA, McDonald’s and Monsanto.

Business representatives reminded governments of the importance of measuring performance in order to track progress. The OECD can play an essential role in greening the agro-food chain by generating data, sharing best practices and encouraging international and economy-wide policy cooperation and dialogue with the private sector.

Staff contact: Helen Medina

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WHO Urged to Improve Consultation With the Private Sector

Published on March 22, 2013
WHO headquarters in Geneva
WHO headquarters in Geneva

USCIB is joining with other industry groups in urging the World Health Organization to improve its procedures for engaging with the business community and other stakeholders.

In February, as part of a broader reform effort, WHO’s executive board decided to conduct public, Web-based consultations on draft principles and policies of engagement with non-state actors.

“USCIB is pleased that WHO is now undertaking this process to consider how to engage with the private sector and other stakeholders,” said Helen Medina, USCIB’s director of product policy.

“In spite of the contributions that business makes to health care innovation, and the impacts of WHO norms and standards on business, WHO has traditionally maintained limited options for business observer organizations.”

WHO is the lead organization for health policy matters within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Reflecting on decades of experience in undertaking proactive engagement with other intergovernmental bodies, including in the areas of environmental affairs and product policy, USCIB encouraged WHO to follow the lead of other UN agencies in better integrating business views into its deliberations.

In its submission, USCIB noted that the private sector is highly diverse in terms of industries, company size and geographical location. Given the wide array of issues addressed by WHO, USCIB said it is essential to provide business and industry adequate representation in order to enable broad and deep engagement across the private sector.

Business and industry is vested in good outcomes for society and human health, USCIB said, and it plays an important role in addressing global health priorities. The private sector can harness its expertise to innovate, research and provide solutions in areas related to health and wellbeing. Business’s commercial activities generate employment, tax revenue and other important resources for societal and individual well-being.

USCIB said the WHO should strive for transparency, engage with business and industry as part of civil society, and take the private sector’s science-based views into account.

At the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, UN member states agreed that sustainable development could not be achieved by governments alone. Engagement with business and industry, along with other important societal interests, is a recognized feature of many other UN bodies.

USCIB will continue to work with its industry partners to encourage WHO to follow the lead of other UN bodies in engaging business and other groups in a transparent and consistent manner, respecting good governance and transparency, and avoiding conflicts of interest.

USCIB’s comments were submitted alongside those of other industry groups, including the International Organization of Employers (part of USCIB’s global network), CropLife International, the Global Alcohol Producers Group, the International Food and Beverage Alliance, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations.

Staff contacts: Helen Medina and Norine Kennedy

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