National Health and Nutrition Day, celebrated in Brazil on 31 March, is a date dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of healthy eating habits and health care. It serves as a reminder to promote nutritious food choices, regular physical activity and equitable access to health services. It is an opportunity to highlight the importance of preventing nutrition-related diseases, as well as to encourage policies and programmes that promote the physical and mental well-being of everybody.
Data from the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report (SOFI) shows that among the indicators of moderate and acute food and nutritional insecurity, 36.4% of the cases, around 159 million people, are in South America. Among children, severe malnutrition was recorded at 9% in the region, 9.7% of children are overweight and 1.4% are acutely malnourished. In addition to this, the cost of healthy eating has increased in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In Brazil, the World Food Programme (WFP) Centre of Excellence against Hunger, in partnership with the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC, in Portuguese) and the Brazilian, Colombian and Peruvian Ministries of Health, are developing the “Nourish the Future” project, which is based on the exchange of knowledge and experiences between countries to tackle the multiple burdens of malnutrition and promote healthy eating. Over the four years it has been running, the project has enriched national and international debates on nutrition and health promotion through Policy Briefs, aimed above all at public managers. The partnership between the countries has generated documents on actions to prevent and care for childhood obesity; encouraging the consumption of fruit and vegetables; promoting healthy habits for children; encouraging physical activity, among other topics.
In addition, the Centre of Excellence also highlights legal documents recently released by the Brazilian government that will support actions at local level to promote adequate nutrition and that can be replicated by other countries. Decree nº11.936 of 5 March 2024 outlines guidelines for the composition of the new basic food basket, which must prioritise fresh or minimally processed foods, and prohibits the inclusion of ultra-processed foods, among other points. Another decree, nº11.821 of 12 December 2023, sets out the strategic axes for promoting adequate and healthy food in the school environment. Besides encouraging the consumption of fresh foods, the decree reinforces the guidelines of the national Food Guides, prioritises local foods, tackles the different forms of advertising that encourage children to consume ultra-processed foods and encourages the inclusion of food and nutrition education in the school curriculum.
On this National Health and Nutrition Day, the Centre of Excellence stresses that joint actions are essential to integrate forces to improve the country’s nutrition scenario and learn from other nations how to mitigate problems related to the issue. Through South-South Cooperation, the Nurture the Future Project has supported all partner institutions so that successful experiences in nutritional surveillance and governance can collaborate to promote the Human Right to Adequate Food.