FAO raises concerns over Pakistan’s healthy food supply

UN agency calls for agri-food reforms to improve access to nutritious, affordable and diverse diets

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has called for urgent changes to Pakistan’s agri-food system to improve people’s access to healthier diets, warning that the existing food supply does not adequately match the nutritional needs of the population.

In its latest assessment, “Food Supply for Healthy Diets in Pakistan”, the UN agency identified a persistent gap between the amount and type of food available in the country and what is required to meet the national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs).

The assessment noted that improving access to healthy diets is closely linked to Pakistan’s wider development objectives. It said more than 60 per cent of the population could not afford a healthy diet, contributing to widespread malnutrition. At the same time, diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are increasing, while different forms of undernutrition continue to affect the population.

According to the FAO, unhealthy diets are a major contributor to all forms of malnutrition and are also directly associated with illness and deaths caused by non-communicable diseases.

The agency has proposed a series of policy measures aimed at encouraging greater demand for nutritious food. These include consumer-focused policies, updating Pakistan’s FBDGs to incorporate nutrition, health and environmental considerations, and using the guidelines to support nutrition education and behavioral change.

The FAO also recommended introducing evidence-based fiscal measures, including taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and products containing excessive amounts of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. It called for front-of-pack nutrition labels to enable consumers to make better-informed purchasing decisions.

Other measures proposed by the agency include protecting vulnerable groups, limiting the marketing of unhealthy foods, particularly products aimed at children, expanding nutritious school meal programmes and strengthening social protection schemes to improve people’s ability to access healthy foods.

The assessment also urged Pakistan to reshape its agri-food system so that it better supports healthy diets. Agricultural policies and investment priorities should be adjusted to encourage greater production of vegetables, fruits, pulses, roots and tubers across the country, while milk production should receive additional support in regions where it is suitable.

The FAO further called for stronger incentives for food processors to comply with food safety and quality requirements and to reformulate products by reducing their levels of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

Improving the retail food environment is another area highlighted in the assessment. The agency recommended investment in storage facilities, cold-chain systems and market infrastructure to minimize food losses and improve the availability of nutritious products.

The FAO said combining these measures with regular monitoring could help Pakistan expand access to and consumption of healthier diets, both in the short term and over the longer term.

The assessment found significant shortages in several important nutritious food categories, particularly vegetables, roots and tubers, fruits, and legumes and pulses.

It also identified a major mismatch between Pakistan’s dietary guidelines and the country’s existing food supply. While supplies of several nutritious food groups remain below the levels required for a healthy diet, staples and sugar are available in quantities exceeding dietary needs.

“Enabling equitable access to diverse, nutritious, safe, and affordable foods that support healthy diets is a policy imperative for Pakistan,” the FAO assessment concluded.