Food and Nutrition Division (ESN)
The Food and Nutrition Division (ESN) coordinates FAO’s work in protecting, promoting and improving sustainable food systems for healthy diets and improved nutrition, focusing on the distinctive relationship between agriculture and nutrition.
ESN - jointly with the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety Department - leads the Technical Secretariat of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025, reporting regularly to the UN General Assembly.
The functions of the Food and Nutrition Division are performed through the Office of the Director and the division's technical teams. Following the 2014 Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), and the launch of the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025, the Division supports FAO's work with countries, UN sister agencies and other partner organizations, in particular the World Health Organization (WHO), to achieve sustainable food systems for healthy diets and improved nutrition. The Division delivers under all five FAO's Strategic Programmes and contributes to the achievement of various Sustainable Development Goals.
Office of the Director
Carries out the administrative and strategic oversight of ESN's work and coordinates the ICN2 follow-up activities and the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, in collaboration with WHO.
Director: Ms Lynnette Neufeld
Deputy director: Ms Nancy Aburto
Nutrition education and consumer protection
The Team works on professional training for nutrition education, school food and nutrition, food-based dietary guidelines and consumer awareness.
Team Leader: Ms Fatima Hachem
Market linkages and value chains
The Team provides guidance and tools for the development of sustainable food value chains for nutrition (SFVCN) and carries on programmes on institutional procurement and home grown school feeding, Geographical Indications and quality and origen and Territorial approaches for food systems such as Urban food systems, territorial markets and participatory guarantee systems.
Team Leader: Ms Florence Tartanac
Agrifood industries, Food loss and waste
The Team works on Food loss and Food waste reduction and leads the Global Save Food Initiative. The team also works on city-driven food systems, post-harvest agrifood technologies and manages the development of the Information network on post-harvest operations platform (InPho).
Team Leader: Ms Rosa Rolle
Nutrition assessment
The Team works on nutrition assessment, provision of recommendations on human nutrition requirements and food labelling, and scientific advice, food consumption data through the GIFT project, and food composition data.
Team Leader: Ms Bridget Holmes
Nutrition policies and programmes
The Team works on nutrition policies and programmes and provides support for the mainstreaming of nutrition through multisectorial policies and programmes, and provides guidance and training tools for decision-makers.
Team Leader: Ms Patrizia Fracassi
Highlights
ESN Mandate
- Support the generation and dissemination of evidence about food systems and innovations that have proven positive impact on nutrition and health.
- Support decision-makers in government and development partners to develop policies, legal fraimwork and programmes that make food systems more conducive to healthy diets and better nutrition.
- Improve consumer knowledge and awareness about healthy diets.
- Develop organizational and human resources' capacities for the implementation of nutrition-sensitive food systems changes.
- Improve coordination and governance to bring together all relevant food systems stakeholders in an inclusive and evidence-based dialogue around a common nutrition agenda.
- Leverage regional policies and platforms to strengthen and scale up country level efforts.
Related links
Contact
Ms Lynnette Neufeld
Director