The Senate Health and Population Committee held a meeting today, chaired by Representative Ali Mahran – Chairman of the Committee, to discuss the “National Food and Nutrition Strategy”, in the presence of Dr. Jihan Fouad, director of the Institute of Nutrition, Dr. Maysa Hamza, head of the central administration of environmental affairs, and Imad Hanna, director of the technical office of the head of the central administration of environmental affairs.
Dr. Ali Mahran, Chairman of the Committee, underlined the existence of cooperation between the Committee and the Ministry of Health headed by Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, praising the concern of the Ministry to send a copy of the National Strategy for Food and Nutrition to the Committee. for review and advice thereon.
For her part, Dr. Jihan Fouad, Director of the Institute of Nutrition, reviewed the general summary of the National Strategy for Food and Nutrition 2023-2030, in the context of the fight against malnutrition, before more than one policy and strategy for food and nutrition. was developed 10 years ago (2007-2017), and after its elaboration, Egypt has implemented a number of other important national policies and programs related to nutrition and food security in recent years, so we have developed a new strategy that focuses on the axis of healthy eating and healthy consumption to fight waste in order to reduce obesity and anemia rates in Egypt, and we are working in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) to take the right steps that move diets forward.
Dr. Jihan Fouad, director of the Institute of Nutrition, explained that the problems of treating obesity and anemia are being transformed into presidential health initiatives with the help of the Supreme Committee for the Fight against Stupidity. growth, anemia and obesity, to raise awareness and improve nutrition and life methods. standards, improving the efficiency of resource use and taking advantage of the geographical comparative advantages of different agricultural regions. In addition, a number of priority actions have been agreed to address unhealthy diets under the Egyptian Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2018-2022.
Fouad said the strategy prioritizes the adoption of an agriculture and food systems approach that leads to increased food production, reduced food losses, more efficient water use and reduced food imports of the main products through a number of national projects included in the action plan. , including:
The national project for the development and cultivation of 1.5 million hectares, the national program for the development of arable crops, the national program for the development of animal, poultry and fish production, the national project for the reduction of losses of agricultural products.
The Director of the Institute of Nutrition revealed that a number of priority actions have been agreed to address unhealthy diets under Egypt’s Multisectoral Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2018- 2022, as part of the multi-sectoral cooperation program for the implementation of the action plan including: the organization of health awareness campaigns aimed at reducing sugar consumption.
Reduce salt intake in meals, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, and replace trans fats and saturated fats with trans fats through reformulation, labeling, tax policies and agricultural and food labeling to improve macronutrient intake and reduce total energy intake.
The director of the Institute of Nutrition indicated that there is a new high-level political commitment to improve the school feeding program, including the creation of a new industrial facility for school meals, in recognition of the importance of supporting the school feeding program to be more effective in promoting healthy and sustainable diets.
Dr. Jihan Fouad emphasized that nutrition information education is key to increasing awareness and understanding of nutrition and healthy diets and food systems. As a result, the government has started integrating healthy nutrition messages into educational activities and curricula at all levels, from kindergarten to kindergarten. The Egyptian Family Guide for the People provides advice on healthy eating. However, there is an urgent need for different approaches to guide the Egyptian citizen to change their eating habits, especially during different seasons and holidays.
In the same context, Dr. Amr Hijab, Under-Secretary of the Senate Committee on Health and Population, praised the great efforts made in the preparation of this strategy, which arrived with a little delay, and the members affirmed their willingness to participate in all events and workshops related to the work of the committee.
For his part, Dr. Hussein Khudair, Under Secretary of the Senate Health and Population Committee, praised the National Food and Nutrition Strategy, and called for more time to review and to study the content of the strategy and to hold a subsequent meeting to deal with the committee’s recommendations in the presence of government representatives.
Dr. Ahmed Abdel-Majid, Secretary of the Senate Health Committee, demanded the need for awareness campaigns on the importance of the National Food and Nutrition Strategy, and to clarify and explain its benefits to citizens.
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