WEBINAR: Advancing Food System Policy: Putting Fruits and Vegetables at the Center
Advancing Food System Policy: Putting Fruits and Vegetables at the Center
What keeps fruits and vegetables off our plates, despite their essential role in health and food security? This question guided the webinar “Advancing Food System Policy: Regional Analyses and Implementation Experiences from Asia and Africa,” convened by SHAPE Asia in collaboration with CGIAR Better Diets and Nutrition and supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) on 12 September 2025. Bringing together experts from Asia and Africa, the session examined how countries are strengthening food system policies and highlighted critical gaps in advancing fruits and vegetables across the value chain.
Opening the discussion, Dr. Elaine Borazon, Project Lead of SHAPE Asia, emphasized the importance of collaboration across regions to address shared challenges. While country contexts differ, the discussions revealed striking similarities, particularly low fruit and vegetable consumption, fragmented policy environments, and persistent implementation gaps.
Across presentations, speakers highlighted that fruits and vegetables continue to be underprioritized within broader food and agriculture systems. In West Africa, Dr. Nestor Alokpaï pointed to the paradox of strong agricultural potential alongside food insecurity, noting that policies remain focused on staple crops, with limited attention to fruits and vegetables, persistent post-harvest losses, and ongoing concerns around pesticide use. He emphasized that the issue is not the absence of policies, but weak implementation and limited impact at the ground level.
A similar picture emerged in Tanzania, where Mario Venance highlighted low consumption driven by limited public awareness, affordability challenges, and insufficient investment in horticulture. Although multiple policy frameworks exist, gaps remain in budget allocation, support for smallholder farmers, and integration across sectors. From Sri Lanka, Samali Perera underscored how policy frameworks have evolved to reflect global priorities such as sustainability and nutrition, yet fruits and vegetables remain sidelined due to a long-standing focus on staple crops. She noted that while policies exist, weak implementation, limited investment, and insufficient coordination continue to constrain progress.
In the Philippines, Dr. Borazon presented findings across multiple policy domains, showing that fruits and vegetables are not consistently prioritized in areas such as production, food environments, and consumer behavior. Challenges such as fragmented policies, limited marketing regulation, and export-oriented production further weaken their role in local diets.
The discussion also expanded to food retail environments, where Dr. Sameeha Mohd Jamil shared insights from five Asian countries. While different approaches are being implemented, gaps remain in consumer education, equity, and policy coverage, indicating that retail and marketing interventions are still underutilized despite their potential to shape healthier food choices.
Synthesizing these perspectives, Professor Anne Marie Thow highlighted a common pattern across regions. A historical focus on staple crops continues to crowd out attention to more nutritious foods, while policy efforts often lack coherence across sectors. At the same time, she pointed to opportunities for stronger regional collaboration and shared learning.
Reflections from Dr. Irene Mitchodigni from Benin, Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa from the Philippines, and Elyse Iruhiriye from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reinforced a key message. The gap between policy and implementation remains a central barrier. Issues such as post-harvest losses, limited behavior change communication, fragmented governance, and insufficient funding continue to limit the effectiveness of existing policies.
Across all perspectives, a clear conclusion emerged. The challenge is not simply about creating more policies, but about ensuring they are coherent, adequately resourced, and effectively implemented. Food systems continue to prioritize quantity over quality, while fruits and vegetables remain peripheral rather than central to policy agendas. With increasing pressures from climate change, rising food costs, and growing burdens of diet-related diseases, the need for integrated and cross-sector food policy has never been more urgent. Addressing these challenges requires sustained investment, stronger coordination, and a shared commitment to reposition fruits and vegetables at the core of food systems.
At SHAPE Asia, we continue to bring together partners, researchers, and policymakers to strengthen food environments and support the transition toward healthier and more sustainable diets across the region.
To explore the full discussion and country insights, watch the webinar recording here: https://youtu.be/6g2h7b74LiM
What keeps fruits and vegetables off our plates, despite their essential role in health and food security? This question guided the webinar “Advancing Food System Policy: Regional Analyses and Implementation Experiences from Asia and Africa,” convened by SHAPE Asia in collaboration with CGIAR Better Diets and Nutrition and supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) on 12 September 2025. Bringing together experts from Asia and Africa, the session examined how countries are strengthening food system policies and highlighted critical gaps in advancing fruits and vegetables across the value chain.
Opening the discussion, Dr. Elaine Borazon, Project Lead of SHAPE Asia, emphasized the importance of collaboration across regions to address shared challenges. While country contexts differ, the discussions revealed striking similarities, particularly low fruit and vegetable consumption, fragmented policy environments, and persistent implementation gaps.
Across presentations, speakers highlighted that fruits and vegetables continue to be underprioritized within broader food and agriculture systems. In West Africa, Dr. Nestor Alokpaï pointed to the paradox of strong agricultural potential alongside food insecurity, noting that policies remain focused on staple crops, with limited attention to fruits and vegetables, persistent post-harvest losses, and ongoing concerns around pesticide use. He emphasized that the issue is not the absence of policies, but weak implementation and limited impact at the ground level.
A similar picture emerged in Tanzania, where Mario Venance highlighted low consumption driven by limited public awareness, affordability challenges, and insufficient investment in horticulture. Although multiple policy frameworks exist, gaps remain in budget allocation, support for smallholder farmers, and integration across sectors. From Sri Lanka, Samali Perera underscored how policy frameworks have evolved to reflect global priorities such as sustainability and nutrition, yet fruits and vegetables remain sidelined due to a long-standing focus on staple crops. She noted that while policies exist, weak implementation, limited investment, and insufficient coordination continue to constrain progress.
In the Philippines, Dr. Borazon presented findings across multiple policy domains, showing that fruits and vegetables are not consistently prioritized in areas such as production, food environments, and consumer behavior. Challenges such as fragmented policies, limited marketing regulation, and export-oriented production further weaken their role in local diets.
The discussion also expanded to food retail environments, where Dr. Sameeha Mohd Jamil shared insights from five Asian countries. While different approaches are being implemented, gaps remain in consumer education, equity, and policy coverage, indicating that retail and marketing interventions are still underutilized despite their potential to shape healthier food choices.
Synthesizing these perspectives, Professor Anne Marie Thow highlighted a common pattern across regions. A historical focus on staple crops continues to crowd out attention to more nutritious foods, while policy efforts often lack coherence across sectors. At the same time, she pointed to opportunities for stronger regional collaboration and shared learning.
Reflections from Dr. Irene Mitchodigni from Benin, Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa from the Philippines, and Elyse Iruhiriye from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) reinforced a key message. The gap between policy and implementation remains a central barrier. Issues such as post-harvest losses, limited behavior change communication, fragmented governance, and insufficient funding continue to limit the effectiveness of existing policies.
Across all perspectives, a clear conclusion emerged. The challenge is not simply about creating more policies, but about ensuring they are coherent, adequately resourced, and effectively implemented. Food systems continue to prioritize quantity over quality, while fruits and vegetables remain peripheral rather than central to policy agendas. With increasing pressures from climate change, rising food costs, and growing burdens of diet-related diseases, the need for integrated and cross-sector food policy has never been more urgent. Addressing these challenges requires sustained investment, stronger coordination, and a shared commitment to reposition fruits and vegetables at the core of food systems.
At SHAPE Asia, we continue to bring together partners, researchers, and policymakers to strengthen food environments and support the transition toward healthier and more sustainable diets across the region.
To explore the full discussion and country insights, watch the webinar recording here: https://youtu.be/6g2h7b74LiM
