By Shadrack Nyakoe
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), EAT, Food & Land Use Coalition (FOLU) and Nutrition Connect are thrilled to announce the launch of the Dietary Shifts Competition (DISH) 2024.
Dietary shifts are urgently needed in Kenya and Indonesia to tackle the triple burden of malnutrition, of undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, while addressing local and global environment and climate issues.
The numbers are grim: 23 million Kenyans are undernourished while 18% of children under age five are stunted, 5% are wasted, 10% are underweight, 17% of women, and 4% of men (20-49 years of age) are obese.
In Indonesia, 10.9% of adult women and 6.3% of adult men are living with obesity. While 24.4% of children under age five are stunted and 11% are wasted.
The DISH Competition invites food system stakeholders to submit already tried and tested evidence-based solutions to promote healthy and sustainable dietary changes in Kenya and Indonesia.
Each country will unveil 15 solutions that are improving the unique dietary needs of the population.
Pitched solutions should align with the national recommendations for improved health and nutrition in Kenya and Indonesia.
During the competition participants will collaborate with experts from government, the private sector, and civil society.
The desired outcome is to build on new transformative partnerships for systemic change leading to impactful and long lasting dietary shifts.
Celebrating the launch, Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director at GAIN said “We all make dozens of decisions every day about what to eat. Too many of us choose the unhealthy options, even if we know better. Over time these decisions are harmful to us and the ones we love. If you have an unusual, innovative, and out of the box idea about how to nudge and steer those decisions towards health we want to hear from you”.
The DISH Competition seeks solutions and innovative initiatives that are locally acceptable and actionable and encourages people in Kenya and Indonesia to shift to healthier diets, in closer alignment to the Planetary Health Diet, the global reference diet that came out of the groundbreaking 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health, The Planetary Health Diet recommendations are flexible and can be tailored to local context, while providing guidelines to a range of different food groups that constitute an optimal diet for human health and environmental sustainability.
Laying emphasis on the relevance of the competition in this context, Lujain Alqodmani, Chief Action Officer at EAT said, “Shifting towards healthy and sustainable diets, as outlined by the Planetary Health Diet, may seem complex, but it is made possible through the collective expertise, passion, and commitment of local actors. DISH provides a unique platform to hear directly from these leaders and to support the implementation of systemic solutions that protect both human health and the health of our planet.”
The competition has five categories for participation across Policy and advocacy, Advertisement and culturally-relevant strategies, Food services interventions, Culinary skills, and Product-level interventions. It invites entrepreneurs, companies, policy makers, think tanks, chefs, leaders in the food service and restaurant industry, communication and marketing experts and other food system actors to submit by October 31, 2024, solutions that encourage positive dietary shifts.
Aligning the competition with the objectives of food diversity and sustainable land use, Michael Onchabo, Director at FOLU, Kenya said “Small shifts in our diets can spark big changes in our food and land use systems, enhancing both our health and the well- being of our planet. Let’s embrace a sustainable way of eating today for a healthier, more resilient tomorrow.”
This competition marks the start of a long-term engagement, with many benefits for the finalists, including an appreciation award of USD 1000 each; recognition at key global platforms, national and international level media coverage; mentorship with subject matter experts; and networking with like-minded participants for knowledge sharing.
The 15 finalists from each country will also have the option to enter Phase 2 of the DISH Competition in 2025 for a further shortlisting and showcasing of the winning entries at global events and platforms.
The Competition launches alongside the new DISH Report that provides key insights into dietary challenges and solutions facing Kenya and Indonesia.
According to the report, barriers to dietary shifts in Kenya and Indonesia include political challenges, economic constraints like poverty and resulting low access, limited government support, poor infrastructure hindering access to fresh produce, and some cultural factors adversely influencing dietary preferences.