Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems

Nutrition and Food Safety

The Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) aims to address the burden of unhealthy diets, malnutrition and foodborne diseases, by providing guidelines, integrated services, and technical support, embedding nutrition and food safety into health, economic, and environmental agendas, and promoting access to knowledge and care for everyone.

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Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems (AHS)

The Food and Nutrition Actions in Health Systems (AHS) Unit assists countries with the application of essential nutrition actions delivered through healthcare and community platforms. AHS develops guidance on programmes and policies, creates application tools, provides technical assistance, fosters global partnerships, and supports global advocacy to ensure that proven nutrition interventions are universally accessible to all relevant populations. The Unit addresses multiple forms of malnutrition, including wasting, stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiency and supports improvements in infant and young child feeding.

News

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21 July 2026

Joint News Release

UN report: Global hunger levels ease for third consecutive year as regional disparities persist

29 June 2026

Note for Media

Forty-ninth session of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission adopts new standards

12 May 2026

Departmental update

WHO launches revamped SHAKE package to help reduce salt intake

Campaign

Direct skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn baby in Dr Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital.

World Breastfeeding Week: 1-7 August

Groups

Expert Group for Updating Guidance on Indicators for the Assessment of Iodine Status

FAO/WHO nutrient requirements for children aged 0-4 years

Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG)

Our work

Addressing nutrition in emergencies

Controlling the global obesity epidemic

Establishing global nutrient requirements

Measuring child growth through data

Promoting baby-friendly hospitals

Ending exploitative marketing of formula milk

Events

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Strengthening what works: new evidence to accelerate investment in breastfeeding

4 – 5 August 2026

Forty-ninth session of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission adopts new standards

6 – 10 July 2026

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment on microbiological risk assessment on powdered formulae for infants and young children

15 – 19 June 2026

Calls for

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5 June 2026

Call for data

Food Contaminants: One hundred and fifth meeting – Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)

1 June 2026

Call for experts

Call for experts - WHO Expert Group on Implementation Guidance for the use of GLP-1 Therapies in Obesity Care

10 April 2026

Call for consultation

Call for Public Comments - WHO guidelines on the integrated management of obesity in adolescents

Publications

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Supporting healthy diets and safe foods in urban food environments

This WHO background document examines how urban food environments influence access to healthy diets and safe food, and how rapid urbanization is reshaping...

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Ensuring competency for providers of breastfeeding support and care

This toolkit supports the verification of competencies among providers of evidence-based breastfeeding support and care, including health professionals,...

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Pesticide residues in food: report 2025: Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues

This report presents the outcomes of the 2025 Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), including evaluations of pesticide residues in food,...

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Documents

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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026 (SOFI) is the UN system’s flagship assessment of global hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition,...

A Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) on powdered formula for infants and young children was convened in Rome, Italy,...

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