A ‘Whole-of-Society’ Approach To An Integrated Health And Agri-food Strategy

In Canada, experts in nutrition, public health, and medicine increasingly recognize the contribution the food industry can make to helping society confront obesity, chronic diseases, and other challenges related to food and diet. The agri-food industry recognizes the potential economic benefits from partnering with the health care community. Both the health sector and the agri-food industry have been working toward healthier food production. The health community is also working to educate consumers about the benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise. However, no systemic approach has been developed to simultaneously move both supply and demand toward health and nutrition in a convergent and sustainable manner.

In order to shift the food supply, and consumer demand, toward the production and consumption of healthier food, the partners of the integrated strategy will need to engage society beyond the nutrition, health, and agri-food sectors. A whole-of-society systems approach (Figure 5)²⁶ will be required, one that influences local and global culture and media,rural and urban communities, the education system, the transportation sector, the environment, and even urban design.

Figure 5. The whole-of-society systems driving food supply and consumer demand. (Modified from the report Food: an analysis of the issues, by the Strategy Unit, UK Cabinet Office, 2008.)

Under this strategy, the consumer must be the central focus. The strategy must therefore account for varying cultures and norms. It must also recognize the complexity of global agri-food supply chains, and how these supply chains will shape strategies and policies related to health, agriculture and agri-food.

Progress has been made on integrating health and agri-food policies and frameworks at the local, provincial, national and global levels. But much more opportunity exists for synergy and for going beyond a “whole-of-government” to a “whole-of-society” approach for developing and implementing health and agri-food policies.

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