HEALTH SYSTEM AND SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION IN IRAN

There are more than two billion malnourished, almost 800 million undernourished, more than one billion overweight and obese in the world. (1) A third of the food produced is lost or wasted globally. Driven by changing consumption patterns and population growth, the FAO projects that global food demand will increase about 60 % by 2050.(1) Global dietary patterns have changed dramatically over the last five decades, presenting both opportunity and threat to people’s health and well-being everywhere (2), all of which may challenge sustainable societies. Sustainable diets and sustainable food systems (SFS) call upon direct actions towards the eradication of hunger and malnutrition; elimination of poverty, food and nutrition insecurity, and poor health outcomes, to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). FAO defines sustainable diets as those with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and healthy life for present and future generations (3). Five major determinants of sustainable diet are: 1) agriculture, 2) health, 3) sociocultural, 4) environmental, and 5) socioeconomic. (2) Therefore, a functional, strong, and resilient health system is fundamental to achieve sustainable diet.(4) As defined by upstream policies and law, the Ministry of Health & Medical Education (MOHME) is the steward of health system as well as the Secretariat of Supreme Council for Health & Food Security in Iran. Ever since the United Nations (UN) approved SDGs in 2015, the MOHME, in collaboration with National Sustainable Development Committee, strengthened their multisectoral collaboration to boost all control knobs of health system to address sustainable health, including the cross-governmental programs for food security.(5) Since its initiation in 2014, Iran’s Health Transformation Plan (HTP) has also prioritized both population (revising consumption patterns through public health initiatives) and industrial policy initiatives towards sustainable diet and nutrition. This paper will illustrate the association between health system and sustainable diet in Iran and discusses the tailored ways to overcome its challenges, in line with global best practices.

Keywords:

sustainable diet , health system , SDGs , Iran