Rethinking systems to reverse the global syndemic

Subsidies meant to incentivise certain behaviour or decisions can have unintended consequences and there is insufficient evidence to date that subsidies directed at producers of fruits and vegetables or other healthy foods will reduce malnutrition, although targeted subsidies for consumers have been...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 2019-02, Vol.393 (10173), p.726-728
Main Author: Nugent, Rachel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil society
Climate change
Economics
Food
GDP
Global economy
Gross Domestic Product
Malnutrition
Nutrition
Obesity
Politics
Power
Public awareness
Regional development
Regional planning
Subsidies
Taxation
Taxes
Undernutrition
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Summary:Subsidies meant to incentivise certain behaviour or decisions can have unintended consequences and there is insufficient evidence to date that subsidies directed at producers of fruits and vegetables or other healthy foods will reduce malnutrition, although targeted subsidies for consumers have been shown to improve food choices.6 The Commission suggests ways to further harness the power of economics using development assistance funding, taxes on unhealthy products, the bully pulpit of business groups, such as the World Economic Forum, and the spending might of the World Bank and regional development banks. A key conclusion from both the Commission and the Schultz and Bonilla-Chacin case studies is that the success of policy implementation is less dependent on the scope of the policy itself than on the presence and tenacity of an engaged coalition of cross-sector stakeholders that can leverage resources and garner public support, a favourable political environment, and the availability of evidence to clearly define the policy scope. The Commission's report leaves the reader hoping that the power of evidence, informal coalitions to build collective power, public awareness raising, and cultivating political will can reorient systems to counter the global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33243-4