Global Fruit and Vegetable Initiative forHealthArecently published WHO/FAO report (20) recommends as a population-wide intake goal theconsumption of a minimum of 400 g of fruit andvegetables per day (excluding potatoes and otherstarchy tubers) for the prevention of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, andobesity, as well as for the prevention and alleviation of several micronutrient deficiencies, especially in less developed countries.Recognizing the increasing scientific evidence that low fruit and vegetable intake is a keyrisk factor for several noncommunicable diseasesand plays an important role in the prevention andalleviation of micronutrient deficiencies, WHOand FAO launched a joint fruit and vegetable promotion initiative in Rio de Janeiro in November2003. The overall goal of this initiative is tostrengthen, promote, and protect health in thecontext of a healthy diet by guiding the development of sustainable actions at community,national and global levels that, when takentogether, will lead to reduced risk of chronic diseases through increased fruit and vegetable consumption. The WHO/FAO Global Fruit and Vegetable Initiative for Health (GlobFaV) seeks tomaximize synergies between WHO's global workon diet, physical activity, and health, and FAO'sprograms on nutrition, food security, and the horticultural supply chain. In concert with other UNagencies, the initiative will support national programs in developing countries involving coalitions of stakeholders ranging from ministries ofagriculture, health and transport, to farmers,extension services, schools, and the food industry.See the WHO/FAO Global Fruit and VegetableInitiative for Health at: http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/0606sp2.htmand the framework document developed at the Kobe workshop at:http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/FAO-WHOFV.pdfInternational Fruit and Vegetable Alliance An International Fruit and Vegetable Alliance(IFAVA) has called for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in order to help stem the rise ofobesity and chronic diseases arguing that thisshould be a primary goal within a health, food andagricultural policy. Health authorities in manycountries support the "5 a day" campaign thatencourages people to eat at least five servings offruits and vegetables daily. The reason why fruitand vegetables are so beneficial is because oftheir array of compounds. In addition to vitamins,minerals and trace elements, fiber,and some foodenergy, fruit and vegetables also contain antioxidants and many other complex plant components(called phytochemicals). It appears that the benefits stem not only from the individual components, but also from the interactions betweenthese components. Dietary supplements containing isolated vitamins or minerals do not appearto have the same beneficial effects as fruit andvegetables themselves. Indeed, in some studies,supplements caused more harm than good. FAOis able to provide advice on strategies for increasing the production, availability, processing,preservation, and consumption of micronutrient
rich foods.
Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative
Based on the understanding that effectively
addressing the increasing global burden of malnutrition (both undernutrition and obesity and
related chronic diseases), requires common policy options, the Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI) has been developed as a follow-up
to the WHO Expert Meeting on Childhood Obesity in Kobe, in 2005. The main aim of the
NFSI is to provide a framework for designing integrated school-based interventions that address all
forms of malnutrition that affect school-age
children, building on the ongoing work of various
agencies and partners, including the UNESCO
coordinated FRESH Initiative (Focusing Resources
on Effective School Health), Child-Friendly
Schools (UNICEF), Essential Package (UNICEF/
WFP), Health Promoting Schools (WHO), and
Food and Nutrition Education Programs (FAO).
The NFSI applies the concept and principles of the
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.
đang được dịch, vui lòng đợi..