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Chapter 8 – Dairy-industry development programmes: Their role in food [...] 327
8.5 Food security, nutrition and health
There is much overlap in interventions that address food security, nutrition and
health; thus they are considered collectively. While this chapter reviews the impact
of project and programme interventions on nutrition and health, the nutritional
aspects are addressed in much greater depth in Chapters 4, 5 and 7.
During the literature review for this chapter, a gap was identified in scientific
research on the impact of dairy-industry programmes on human health and nutrition.
It is important to recognize that most dairy programmes do not have improved
dietary intake and nutritional status as explicit goals and it is frequently assumed
that such outcomes are automatic. While observational evidence from FAO and
other programmes suggests that some of the milk produced by smallholders
is retained for home consumption and is therefore likely to benefit household
members’ nutritional status, systematic analyses of the relationship between dairy
production and consumption at household level are scarce, thus limiting our ability
to design more effective programmes. This evidence gap is to some extent addressed
in Chapter 7 of this book, which reviews available research on dairy production
programmes and nutrition.
The FAO definition of food security states that “food security exists when all
people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and
healthy life. Household food security is the application of this concept to the family
level, with individuals within households as the focus of concern” (FAO and WFP,
2009, p. 8; see also Randolph et al., 2007).
A widely used conceptual framework published by UNICEF in 1990 identifies
three main underlying determinants of nutritional status: (i) availability and access
to adequate food; (ii) the quality of feeding and care-giving practices; and (iii) the
health of the surrounding environment and access to health care (UNICEF, 1990).
Thus good nutritional outcomes can only be attained if an individual has access to a
nutritionally adequate diet relative to his/her physiological requirements in combination
with access to clean water and sanitation and adequate health and social care.
A varied diet composed of sufficient quantities of diverse foods is the cornerstone
of food security and key to avoiding both under- and overnutrition (obesity).
Policy-makers must ensure that not only sufficient staple foods are produced but
a variety of micronutrient-rich foods are accessible to the world’s poor and malnourished.
While staple foods frequently provide the bulk of energy and protein,
dietary variety is pivotal for human health, proper child growth and socio-economic
development. In addition to staples, fruits, vegetables and legumes, some animalsourced
foods such as dairy products, eggs and fish are essential in a healthy diet.
Some fat and healthy vegetable oils are also needed to provide essential fatty acids
and to enhance the body’s ability to absorb vitamin A from plant foods.
Dietary recommendations for milk and dairy products continue to generate
significant interest. Many comments from around the world have been posted
recently (2011) on the FAO Dairy Outlook online discussion network (FAO,
2011b). FAO and WHO are frequently asked about recommended amounts of milk
and dairy products for consumption. There are currently no global dietary recommendations
for specific foods or groups of commodities, with the exception of the
dietary goals established for the intake of fruit and vegetables, and for fats and oils