Food systems delivering better health: executive summary

Overview

Today, our food systems are making us ill, driving climatic change and undermining the health of ecosystems. This new “Food Systems Delivering Better Health” narrative recognizes that food lies at the heart of human, ecosystem and animal health. We must change the way we think about, produce, distribute, consume, dispose of and value food, for better health outcomes. The narrative focuses on five interconnected and interrelated pathways: unhealthy diets and food insecurity; zoonotic pathogens and antimicrobial resistance; unsafe and adulterated foods; environmental contamination and degradation and occupational hazards.

With the new narrative the World Health Organization aims to reach decision-makers, policymakers, practitioners, investors and researchers across the food system to guide policy and practice, for transformative systems change to shift food systems towards the delivery of sustainable healthy diets for all. We must harness momentum and engagement to transform our food systems to deliver better health and well-being of our planet and all its inhabitants.