Five years after the UN Food Systems Summit, countries renew action on healthy diets
26 October 2026 | Rome: The food people eat is shaped long before it reaches the table. What farmers grow, how food is transported and sold, what schools serve and what families can afford all influence whether healthy diets are within reach.
These connections are at the heart of a renewed effort by the Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems for Children and All, which announced a new phase of work on 22 October during the 54th Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS54) at FAO headquarters in Rome. The new phase will be led by Brazil, alongside Ethiopia, Ghana, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Yemen, with a stronger focus on country priorities, practical policy support and healthier food environments.
The announcement comes as the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2026) report finds that nearly 2.7 billion people worldwide still cannot afford a healthy diet. In 2025, the global average cost of a healthy diet reached 4.28 purchasing power parity (PPP) dollars per person per day, up from 3.44 in 2021. Improving access requires action across agriculture, health, education, social protection and other sectors that influence how food is produced, distributed and consumed.
Building on the 2021 Food Systems Summit
The Coalition has its roots in the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, which brought governments and partners together around a shared agenda for food systems transformation. Coalitions of Action were among the Summit's important outcomes. Established around specific priorities, they were designed to bring countries, UN agencies, civil society, researchers and development partners into closer cooperation, drawing on their respective expertise to support governments in advancing their national food systems transformation pathways.
"The Coalitions of Action were one of the boldest and most innovative ideas to emerge from the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit," said Lara Blanco, Deputy Director of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, in remarks at the announcement.
Participants of the launch included representatives of the Coalition, the SUN Movement, UN-Nutrition, FAO, the governments of Brazil and the Netherlands, WHO, UNICEF, WFP and IFAD.
Since its formal launch in 2022, the Healthy Diets Coalition has provided a platform for countries to share experiences, strengthen cooperation and explore practical approaches to nutrition through a food systems lens. Its work has included exchanges on food-based dietary guidelines, healthy food environments and nutrition in fragile settings, alongside efforts to connect nutrition priorities with national policies and climate commitments.
In 2025, a Coalition study visit organized with UN-Nutrition and the Brazilian government brought officials from ten countries to learn about Brazil's nutrition policies, school meals and social protection. The visit also highlighted opportunities for further collaboration through the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, launched under Brazil's G20 presidency in 2024.
This work also reflects progress within countries. Nutrition already features prominently in many national food systems transformation pathways, while existing food security and nutrition institutions have helped strengthen coordination among ministries responsible for agriculture, health, environment, planning and finance.
Connecting country priorities with wider support
The Coalition's next phase will place greater emphasis on country leadership and practical support, beginning with healthy food environments. This includes policies affecting the cost of a healthy diet, access to nutritious foods, food marketing, public procurement and the settings in which people make everyday food choices. Countries will help determine the Coalition's priorities and future activities, drawing on technical expertise and lessons from other national experiences.
For the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, this renewed commitment also builds on its wider collaboration with the Coalitions of Action. In April 2026, the Hub and the Coalitions launched a Joint Roadmap for 2026–2027, setting out plans to strengthen connections between Coalition expertise and national priorities, deepen engagement with National Food Systems Convenors, and improve coordination, advocacy and knowledge-sharing.
The renewed Healthy Diets Coalition offers an opportunity to advance these shared aims, particularly by bringing nutrition expertise into wider food systems policy discussions and helping countries draw on existing partnerships and technical support. Welcoming the announcement, Blanco expressed the Hub's commitment to closer collaboration with the Coalition, including through regional peer learning, stronger national policy coherence and efforts to measure progress at country level.
With preparations for the 2027 SDG Summit approaching, the Hub will continue working with Coalitions of Action and other partners to support countries in putting their national food systems priorities into practice, with healthy diets remaining a central measure of progress.
