A/HRC/19/59 across all government; and they should create a stable, multi-year framework, providing the necessary conditions both for private investment and for a continued effort of government. IV. Addressing overweight and obesity A. The role of agrifood systems 26. In section II, the Special Rapporteur described the considerable growth of noncommunicable diseases and preventable deaths in all regions. A wide range of factors explain this evolution. They include tobacco and alcohol use, reduced physical activity linked to urbanization and thus more sedentary lifestyles, and inadequate diets. These avoidable deaths are often attributed to ―lifestyle choices‖—choices to exercise less, choices to consume more salt, sugars and fats. But the problem is a systemic one. We have created obesogenic environments and developed food systems that often work against, rather than facilitate, making healthier choices.38 The transformation of agrifood systems plays a major part in this trend. 1. Agricultural policies 27. Agricultural production has risen dramatically over the past 40 years, the combined result of crop breeding, intensive fertilizer use, the mechanization of production on large plantations in new cultivated areas and, in countries that could afford it, subsidies supporting farmers and intense research and development efforts. But there was an imbalance in this development. Some basic cereals and soybean were promoted, and the subsidies they benefited from were partly responsible for overproduction and overconsumption.39 In comparison, too little was done to improve the availability and affordability of pulses such as lentils or pigeon peas, or of fruits and vegetables, for instance by reducing post-harvest losses and improving marketing through better transport infrastructure connecting farmers to consumers. 28. What was the result? Between 1961 and 2009, while fruit and vegetable production increased 332 per cent, world oilseed production increased by 610 per cent and meat production increased 372 per cent. 40 This was associated with shifting diets. Over roughly the same period (1963–2003), developing countries increased the amount of calories they consumed from meat (119 per cent), sugar (127 per cent) and vegetable oils (199 per cent), and industrialized countries also increased vegetable oil consumption (105 per cent). Globally, diets became increasingly energy-dense and rich in sugar, salt and saturated fats, as many higher fibre foods were replaced by heavily processed foods.41 29. Agricultural policies led to these shifts in diets through two channels. First, maize and soybean have become a conveniently cheap input for the food processing and livestock industries. Most of the world‘s soybean is processed into meal to feed animals and into vegetable oil. Increasingly larger quantities of cereals (primarily maize) are used to produce 38 39 40 41 See D. Stuckler and K. Siegel, eds., Sick Societies: Responding to the Global Challenge of Chronic Disease (New York, Oxford University Press, 2011). See L.S. Elinder, ―Obesity, hunger and agriculture: the damaging role of subsidies,‖ British Medical Journal, vol. 331, No. 7528 (2005), pp. 1333-1336. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Bringing Agriculture to the Table: How Agriculture and Food Can Play a Role in Preventing Chronic Disease, (2011) (study by a group of experts chaired by Rachel Nugent), p. 29. J. Kearney, ―Food consumption trends and drivers,‖ Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society, vol. 365, No. 1554 (2010), p. 2795. 13