World Food Policy
The changes described above are reflected in a succession of 5-yearly Na-
tional Food and Nutrition Plans (Table 2). In Table 1, we present a brief overview
of each of these plans and the prevailing nutrition situation in the country in each
period.
Table 2. Thailand’s 5-year National Food and Nutrition Plans (1977–2006)
National Food
and Nutrition
Plan (NFNP)
and period
covered
First NFNP
(1977–1981)
Plan summary
(Tontisirin et al, 2013) Nutrition situation
• Addressed protein energy mal-
nutrition in children through
high protein supplements and
nutrition education Seven major nutritional
problems identified: protein
energy malnutrition, vita-
min A deficiency, anemia,
beri-beri (thiamine deficien-
cy), goiter, angular stomatitis
(riboflavin deficiency), and
urinary bladder stone (phos-
phorus deficiency)
• Emphasis on agricultural ex-
tension providing extra food
needed within communities
• First official adoption of a
multi-sectoral approach to food
and nutrition policy involving
Ministry of Interior, Ministry
of Public Health, Ministry of
Education
Second NFNP
(1982–1986)
• Primary healthcare approach
adopted, community health-
care centers established and
community health volunteers
trained. Nutrition programs
were a large part of these
healthcare center activities
• Nutrition surveillance partic-
ularly growth monitoring in
children established through-
out country
• Poverty reduction emphasized
as solution to nutrition prob-
lems
• Nutrition education rolled out
especially for pregnant and
breast feeding women and
young children
18
Protein energy malnutrition
rates in children began to fall
in this period