Food systems are well placed to influence food production and the consumption patterns of nutritious foods necessary for a healthy and active life. In recent decades, food systems have become increasingly complex and global with longer supply chains from farm to fork. Applying a nutrition lens to agriculture and food systems should include a consistent focus on nutritional outcomes and indicators within national food and agricultural policies and programmes, and the broader macroeconomic policies and development strategies. The aim should be to sustainably improve food and nutrition security and combat the multiple burden of malnutrition through food and agriculture, and other relevant sectors. 

This publication explores the following questions:

• What is needed to promote change in the food systems to achieve more nutrition-sensitive policies and programmes?
• How can agricultural policies and programmes be more nutrition-sensitive?
• What is the potential economic impact of nutrition-sensitive food systems?
• What are the ongoing country initiatives that are working to make agriculture nutrition-sensitive? How is it done? What are the challenges faced? What are the key lessons learned and achievements so far?
• What are the gaps that need to be addressed to promote more nutrition-sensitive food systems? What is needed at country level to move this agenda forward?
• What kind of institutional arrangements and policy environments are supportive of nutrition-sensitive food systems? What are their key features?
• How to monitor and evaluate nutrition-sensitive interventions with a food systems approach?

Note: This publication was developed under the auspices of the United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), one of the precursors to UN-Nutrition.