Catalyzing action on food environments for universal access to healthy diets in Senegal

 

While there is considerable evidence on the ways in which food environments influence what people eat and drink, and therefore on their state of health, the current policy and regulatory regime in Senegal is not geared to promote healthy diets.

This project will generate evidence on the interaction between the food environment, diets, malnutrition and gender and socioeconomic status in the Senegalese context. The nutrition composition table and table of antinutrients will be updated to better account for foods currently consumed by households and the Food Based Dietary Guidelines will be strengthened. The project will also assess the cost and affordability of healthy and unhealthy diets and how taxation and subsidies affect consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods by different socio-economic groups and genders.

The evidence, including further analysis of the national nutrition survey (2022) in Senegal and primary qualitative data on how socio-economic factors and gender impacts the burden of malnutrition and the quality of different diets, will also inform communication strategies for shifting practices by institutional actors, private enterprise, and men and women towards healthier and more nutritious diets.

Through the evidence-building and communication activities, the project team will undertake prioritization of policy action and work collaboratively with a broad set of stakeholders for the adoption of healthier diets and reduced consumption of unhealthy foods in Senegal.
This project will be funded through the Catalyzing Change for Health and Sustainable Food Systems initiative, a co-funding partnership between IDRC and the Rockefeller Foundation.