What makes a community, a country, a region "food secure"?

Food security is about everybody having access, all the time to sufficient, safe and suitable food.

Many different sectors and causes impact on food security status: agriculture and fisheries (the right to arable land and the knowledge to use it, and the ability to protect fishing rights and access), trade (the ability to control what comes into your country and how much you pay for it), and health (the ability to access healthy choices and understand how to make them).

Improving food security means acknowledging that it is primarily about taking action to improve the food environment, that is, to make sure that the right products at the right price are available to everyone. Secondary to this is improving people’s ability to make healthy choices.

Food security and health are inextricably linked. Lack of food security compromises people’s health. Too little food, or a lack of healthy food (with sufficient essential vitamins, minerals, protein, etc) can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder foetal development and contribute to mental retardation. Too much of the wrong sort of food and not enough physical activity is directly linked to non-communicable diseases like obesity, hypertension, malnourishment, diabetes. Vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases, and some types of cancers. Contaminated foods can make you sick.

The future of the Pacific depends on how food secure the children of today are: future physical and mental well being, ability to contribute to society and economic productivity will depend on their health today.

Global factors, that are difficult to control, like the financial crisis and climate change, affect people’s access negatively to sufficient, safe and suitable food. Coordinated action across multiple sectors is required. Strengthened local food production systems provide greater resilience in meeting the challenges of meeting climate change.

Food safety (including microbiological and chemical safety) is essential to prevent diarrhoea, food toxicity and ensure food can be safely consumed and traded with other countries.

How can you help achieve a food secure Pacific?

Governments can play a lead role in achieving food security by :

• supporting local food production for domestic consumption and export
• promoting healthy food choices to people
• introducing food safety standards
• introducing targets for salt, fat and sugar in food
• encouraging fortification of staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals
• acting in a way that provides a level playing field for businesses
• promoting nutrition labelling and reductions in advertising of unhealthy food
• enforcing and monitoring standards and strategies
• encouraging individual consumers and populations to do their part
  

Companies and business, particularly those involved in food, agriculture and industry play an important role in the food security of Pacific Countries and have a growing interest in adding ‘health’ value to products. They can :

• support local food production
• implement corporate responsibility programs that promote consumption of healthy foods
• reformulate products to reduce salt and fat
• fortify staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals
• apply due responsibility for food safety and quality
• work in collaboration with governments and consumers
  

Consumers and consumer groups can advocate for the actions of government, businesses and aid agencies. They can also :

• Buy locally produced foods
• Plant home vegetable gardens
• Take advantage of fresh markets
• Be informed about nutrition labels and advertising techniques
• Look for products low in salt, fat or sugar and add less of these products to foods at the table

Development and support agencies understand that food security is vital to social and economic development in the Pacific and for health. They can :

• provide technical expertise on food security as well as health, agriculture and trade
• facilitate dialogue between governments and food industry
• build capacity in countries for regulating and monitoring food security, safety and quality
• contribute to and advocate for funding
• help countries negotiate and take advantage of trade agreements

Contact us if you would like to know more.

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