Through an announcement made by Ricardo Barros, Minister of Health of Brazil, Brazil became the first country to make commitments as part of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025). Specific policy measures were outlined to achieve the following three goals by 2019:
- Stop the growth in the adult obesity rate (which currently stands at 20.8%) through intersectoral policies;
- Reduce by at least 30% consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among adults; and
- Increase by at least 17.8% the proportion of adults who regularly eat fruit and vegetables.
As part of the country’s comprehensive strategy to tackle the rising challenge of overweight and obesity, Brazil committed to revise regulations on food labelling and marketing, to reduce sugar and salt intake and to increase the number of fitness facilities. The government also committed to improving the quality of school meals and to greater awareness raising about healthy diets through the development and distribution of educational materials.
Read more in the WHO press release here and Brazil's commitment letter below.