Challenges for the transition to a sustainable food system in Honduras

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of two hurricanes in 2020 made evident the vulnerability of the Honduran food system. These events showed the need to strengthen the involvement of the different actors in the system for timely decision-making toward healthy and sustainable food. This document identified problems such as the lack of diversification in food production, the difficult access to healthy and nutritious food, the consumption of ultra-processed foods, and the consequences on the health of the Honduran population. These consequences are reflected in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, anemia, overweight, obesity, stunting in children under 5 years of age, and the double burden of malnutrition. Therefore, it is proposed that intervention strategies in the food system be oriented to public health, through policies that lead to changes in food environments and respond to the production, transformation, and consumption of sustainable food. This strategy should include the promotion of livelihoods in favor of ensuring nutrition, food security, and food sovereignty of the population. It is necessary that government, producers, private enterprises, development institutions, organized civil society, and academia, are well articulated and linked in a way that nutrition-sensitive strategies can be implemented.