New report outlines health impacts of food systems and potential levers for change

Dr. Rocha, an invited member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food), is the lead author of Unravelling the Food-Health Nexus: Addressing Practices, Political Economy and Power Relations to Build Healthier Food Systems. (external link, opens in new window)  

The report, commissioned by the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, assesses the negative health impacts of food systems and explains how the system is locked into cycles that produce poor health. Together, the Global Alliance and IPES-Food worked closely to: understand the broad range of evidence that informs the report’s findings; analyze how and why food systems are making people sick; expose the health costs externalized by food systems; understand how to internalize these costs through healthier food systems practices; and, explore potential levers for change.

The report was launched in Rome at a Committee on World Food Security (CFS) side event, co-hosted by the Global Alliance, IPES-Food, and the governments of Italy and Nigeria. The report was also presented at the International Nutrition Congress in Argentina, and the WHO Global Conference on Non-Communicable Diseases in Uruguay. In a recent webinar (external link) , 500 people from around the world registered to hear Dr. Rocha’s presentation and a lively discussion of the report’s findings.

Dr. Rocha is the English language expert on the successful food and nutritional security programs in Brazil.  She has built an international reputation as a leading theoretician of the market failure in the current food system, and available solutions.