World Food Policy
By the early 2000s , over nutrition and its link to chronic disease had been identified as a growing problem by the Thai Ministry of Public Health and public health researchers . The change in direction , however , from addressing infant , child , and pregnant womens ’ nutritional needs particularly in rural settings to addressing those of adults in a dynamic urbanizing population is not yet advanced . Some new programs which have begun to be introduced to address new diet risks have included new nutrition labeling regulations , Thai specific guidelines for daily consumption of food types , campaigns promoting physical activity , the high profile “ flat belly Thais ” campaign ( Flat Belly Thais Network , 2013 ), the “ Sweet Enough Network ” ( Thai Health Promotion Foundation , 2013 ), which advocates to reduce added sugar , and regulations on food advertising to children . These programs have been developed by various bodies including the National Food Committee . The National Health Assembly has also adopted a resolution to tackle overweight and obesity ( Chavasit , Kasemsup , & Tontisirin , 2013 ).
4 . Integrating Policies for Food and Nutrition Security
In a growing number of developed countries , particularly in Europe , national food plans and academics are increasingly emphasizing the need for food policies which incorporate public health and environmental strategies , alongside their more traditional productivist and often trade objectives ( Carlisle & Hanlon , 2014 ).
None of these countries to our knowledge have successfully established a Ministry of Food , instead maintaining separate ministries dealing with agriculture , trade , health , and the environment , although from time to time the UK and Australian governments have established high-level food policy interdepartmental committees ( Cabinet Office ( UK ), 2008 ; Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry , 2012 ; National Food Administration ( Sweden ), 2009 ; The Scottish Government , 2009 ). Perhaps , the most pertinent example is that of the Japanese government ’ s comprehensive Shokuiku or “ Food Education ” program which promotes consumption of healthy , traditional , locally produced foods as a mechanism for improving food producer livelihoods as well as consumer health . This approach , however , still has limitations , relying on changes in individual consumer behavior rather than structural and regulatory interventions by governments which are also needed ( Chopra et al ., 2002 ; World Health Organisation , 2004 ).
Thailand has now embarked on a new approach to achieve food policy coherence . A peak body , the National Food Committee ( NFC ), first established in 1992 , has been reinvigorated under the 2008 National Food Committee Act and given the responsibility of coordinating policies and actions across all aspects of Thai Food Policy . This body is chaired by the Thai Prime Minister and has representatives from the Thai Food and Drug Administration , the Ministry of Public Health , and the Ministry of Agriculture as co-Sec-
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