The construction of the Dietary Guidelines for the first thousand days of life advances – Ministry of Public Health

2023-08-16 17:55:20

Quito, August 16, 2023

The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) inaugurated the III workshop for the construction of Dietary Guidelines Based on Food Systems (GABSA) for the first thousand days of life. This process has the technical assistance of FAO.

The GABSAs are a strategy to combat the double burden of malnutrition in the country, with an emphasis on chronic child malnutrition (DCI). Representatives of government institutions, academia, civil society, and international cooperation participated in the meeting, in Quito, on August 16.

In the workshop it was possible to present the messages and visual identity of the GABSA for the first thousand days of life in Ecuador. These products are the result of validations carried out in the territory in seven provinces of the country, both in urban and rural areas, with the participation of pregnant women, lactating women, and caregivers of children under 2 years of age.

Yadira Morejón, National Director of Healthy Eating and Nutrition of the MSP highlighted that having a document based on the best evidence and on what the Ecuadorian reality needs will help on the path towards a sustainable and resilient food system.

For her part, Erika Zarate, assistant representative of FAO Programs, emphasized the number of Child Chronic Malnutrition (DCI) that affects 27.2% of girls and boys under 2 years of age in Ecuador. Likewise, he pointed out that the new approach of the Dietary Guidelines Based on Food Systems (GABSA) proposed by FAO will serve as a national reference to guide the development of programs and policies related to the transformation of food systems that allow the adoption of healthy diets. and sustainable for all people.

The Dietary Guidelines Based on Food Systems (GABSA) for the first thousand days of life in Ecuador will provide context-specific recommendations and principles on healthy eating and lifestyles. Likewise, they will be aligned with the country’s public health and nutrition priorities, local food production and consumption, sociocultural influences, food composition data, and accessibility, among other factors. These guides will be available to the population at the end of 2023.