Towards A National Nutrition Policy

Nutrition Policy in Canada, 1870-1939 examines the beginnings and early evolution of nutrition policy developments, mainly at the federal level, from the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the Second World War. It outlines the development of a national system of food safety and surveillance, the federal government's early policy focus on infant feeding, and the factors leading to the establishment of a national dietary standard.

A practical guide to the development of national nutrition policies appropriate to conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Noting that no country in the region has succeeded in developing a national nutrition policy, the book aims to help senior decision-makers and administrators rationalize and simplify procedures in a step-by step approach to policy formulation. Emphasis is placed on the need for a properly coordinated multi-sectoral strategy.

Abstract: The articles introduce the types of considerations involved in formulating food and nutrition policies in developing countries, with particular reference to the young child. Specific examples and practical information are a means of planning to place food and nutrition in the larger context of national development. Efforts to improve the nutritional status of children must incorporate direct medical measures and the interplay of varied socioeconomic forces which affect a child's health. Topics included are: (1) macrovariables of demand, supply and need and the systematized approach to malnutrition; (2) long-term national policy; (3) specific interventions of immediate impact; (4) implementation of supplementary funding programs; (5) deficiency diseases and control; and (6) the relationship of the food industry to nutritional status.