Food Policies in the Global

South

JOSE LUIS VIVERO POL PhD Research Fellow in Food Governance

Module “Global Food Policy and Developement” Master in Food, Law and Finance 2017-18International University College, Turin, Italy

Context•High hunger prevalence (measured by different

indicators)•Rising obesity/overweight in many countries•Weak taxing capacity and thus meagre budgets•Highly influenced in half of them by external donors

and banks• Important group of countries with hunger but

financial capabilities (BRICS +)•Poor social welfare systems•Strong civil society in some (LAC + India) but weak in

the rest

Taxing unhealthy ultra-processed Food: scientific evidence vs post-truth Is fair? Is useful?

Mexico: 10% soda tax in Jan 2014•SCIENCE CONFIRMS: sales of ultra-processed products

are associated with weight gain and obesity in Latin America. •Mexico: highest rates of diabetes in the Americas (14%) •US (12%) of adults live with diabetes.•Mexico soda consumption: 120 litres person/year

(3060 sugar cubes, 8.3 sugar cubes person/day) •Sanchez-Romero et al. (2016). Tax on Sugar-sweetened

beverages Projections, based on observed consumption reductions, suggest tax may substantially decrease morbidity and mortality from diabetes and CVD while reducing healthcare costs.

Conditional (unconditional) Cash Transfers (or Universal Basic Income)

Bolsa covers 25% of Brazil, or 50 million Brazilians. School attendance in Northeast region has risen, and prenatal care and vaccination have increased.

Mexico’s Oportunidades: 6.5 million families living poverty, (25% of population)

•Enrolling their children into schools or getting regular health check-ups, doing community works, having an ID card•Rates of malnutrition, anemia, and stunted growth

have fallen, maternal and infant deaths have dropped and contraception rates have risen while teenage pregnancy rates have fallen. • In education, middle school enrollment rates in

rural areas have risen 42%, while high school enrollment rates have risen 82%

40 CCT programmes (14 in LAC)

•Reducing poverty•Improves the conditionality (often)•Feeding the deprived region with cash•Women empowerment

•Political Bias (paternalism, populism)•Activating demand but insufficient offer•Efficiency to reduce hunger is controversial

Ready to Use Therapeutic Food to treat acute malnutrition

Peanut butter with dried milk, oil, sugar, and essential minerals and vitamins.

Bakhsh, U.R. CHI.-KENT J.INTELL.PROP.238http://scholarship.kentlaw.iit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=ckjip

•Plumpy’Nut is a RUTF that was developed by French pediatrician Andre Briend in 1996. At the time, Briend was working for Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, a research institute that was collaborating with another French corporation, Nutriset, on a project to develop a commercially viable treatment specifically for malnutrition.•After several failed trials, Plumpy’Nut was developed

using a blend of peanut butter, powdered milk, sugar, and oil and is fortified with vitamins and minerals.•After the formula was developed, Nutriset (Michel

Lescanne) immediately pursued patent protection in France. Now in 40.

• Useful, scientifically-tested, proven in the field (UNICEF, WFP, NGOs)• A medical treatment (100-200 USD per kid per treatment)• The bars are mostly produced in the U.S., Europe and increasingly

in India, Africa and South America.• Field tested in massive scale in Niger 2005• 90% of market share (potential market, 50 M children)• In some countries — including Bangladesh and India —

researchers are developing therapeutic foods with locally sourced ingredients. In 2011, out of a total of 46,000 MTs of Plumpy’Nut® produced worldwide, 11 676 MTs were made in developing countries.• Nutriset uphelds national nutritional autonomy and thus Nutriset

formalised this technology-sharing approach in 2005 by creating the Plumpy’Nut® in the Field network, since renamed PlumpyField®.• Nutriset patent is very broad, enforced in many countries but

contested in others (India)