A/HRC/19/59
for unhealthy lives. Taxpayers pay for misguided subsidies that encourage the agrifood
industry to sell heavily processed foods at the expense of making fruits and vegetables
available at lower prices; they pay for the marketing efforts of the same industry to sell
unhealthy foods, which are deducted from taxable profits; and they pay for health-care
systems for which non-communicable diseases today represent an unsustainable burden.
In developing countries, the main burdens remain undernutrition and micronutrient
deficiency, but these countries, too, are victims of these failed policies. They are
witnessing a rapid shift to processed foods, which are often imported, and the
abandonment by the local population of traditional diets. This shift has reduced the
opportunities for local farmers to live decently from farming.
49.
Combating the different faces of malnutrition requires adopting a life-course
approach guaranteeing the right to adequate diets for all, and reforming agricultural
and food policies, including taxation, in order to reshape food systems for the
promotion of sustainable diets. Strong political will, a sustained effort across a
number of years, and collaboration across different sectors, including agriculture,
finance, health, education and trade, are necessary for such a transition. In line with
these conclusions, the Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations.
50.
States, in accordance with their obligation to respect, protect and fulfil the right
to adequate food for all, should:
(a)
Adopt a national strategy for the realization of the right to adequate food
which integrates the objective of guaranteeing the right to adequate diets for all and
sets specific targets and time frames for action;
(b)
Transpose into domestic legislation the International Code of Marketing
of Breast-milk Substitutes and the WHO recommendations on the marketing of
breast-milk substitutes and of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children, and
ensure their effective enforcement;
(c)
Adopt statutory regulation on the marketing of food products, as the
most effective way to reduce marketing of foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty
acids, sodium and sugar (HFSS foods) to children, as recommended by WHO, and
restrict marketing of these foods to other groups;
(d)
Impose taxes on soft drinks (sodas), and on HFSS foods, in order to
subsidize access to fruits and vegetables and educational campaigns on healthy diets;
(e)
Review the existing systems of agricultural subsidies, in order to take
into account the public health impacts of current allocations, and use public
procurement schemes for school-feeding programmes and for other public institutions
to support the provision of locally sourced, nutritious foods, with particular attention
to poor consumers;
(f)
Adopt a plan for the complete replacement of trans-fatty acids with
polyunsaturated fats;
(g)
Increase support to farmers’ markets and urban and peri-urban
agriculture, in land-planning schemes, through fiscal incentives and by ensuring
appropriate infrastructure to link local producers to the urban consumers;
(h)
Complete the reform of the Standing Committee on Nutrition, in order
to ensure that adequate attention is paid to nutrition throughout the United Nations
system under multilateral guidance by Governments, with adequate participation of
civil society organizations, including farmers' organizations.
21
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents