The Food Secure Pacific portal aims to provide information on food security in the Pacific. Click on Events for the latest activities in the lead up to the summit and, Resources for background documents on food security, safety and quality in the Pacific.

A Healthy Island is able to provide its people with sufficient, safe and nutritious food for active and healthy lifestyles. However, there are a number of threats to food security in the Pacific. These include declines in traditional crop production, increased dependence on imported foods, growing vulnerability to climate change, overfishing and illegal fishing, volatility in international commodity prices and failure to enact and enforce food safety and quality standards. Collectively, these and other threats are contributing to greater risk of noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, child malnutrition and foodborne diseases in Pacific populations. They also hinder productivity, trade and development.

Figure 1.  A conceptual model of Food Security.

These challenges demand a coordinated and multi-sectoral response, involving public-private partnerships, if food security is to be achieved in the Pacific. Such a response also provides a unique opportunity to address malnutrition, foodborne diseases and NCDs simultaneously. Micronutrient deficiencies can be reduced through consumption of traditional staples and fortification, food safety standards can protect Pacific populations from foodborne diseases and food and advertising standards can reduce the amount of fat, sugar and salt consumed, lowering the risk of NCDs. Addressing multiple health outcomes through the modification of a common risk factor becomes increasingly important for developing nations as they progress through the nutrition transition. It will also strengthen Pacific economies and shield against future food crises.


Co-Sponsors

Membership includes representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Global Health Institute (Sydney, Australia), Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The working group does not warrant that the information contained on this site is complete and correct and shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of its use. The views expressed on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the above-mentioned organizations.

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