2023 Food And Nutrition Workshop By UNICEF South Africa
On the 18th of August 2023, Campus clubs from various universities across
Johannesburg gathered in Waterkloof Pretoria to engage with UNICEF South Africa.
Vukani, the UNICEF UJ Chairperson (Left), and Thulani, the treasurer (Right), represented the University of Johannesburg.
The primary intention was to educate and encourage clubs to create campaigns and projects that increase awareness and educate the public about Food and Nutrition, this campaign is a build up to celebrate World Diabetes Day (14th November 2023). To further bring awareness on Nutrition, the engagement focused on food governance and the factors contributing to it.
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| Ideation and Brainstorming |
Food governance
Food governance refers to the policies, regulations, and processes that govern the production, distribution, and food consumption. It encompasses various aspects such as food safety, nutrition, agricultural practices, trade policies, and sustainability. Other aims are to ensure that food systems are efficient, equitable, sustainable, and able to meet the nutritional needs of populations.
In South Africa, 60% of females are overweight, 1% of citizens are anemic, and only 20% of young adults maintain an active lifestyle. These statistics represent the poor food governance within South Africa. To tackle these issues, it is essential to identify and understand the factors that contribute to poor food governance, such as Culture, Societal norms, such as gender roles, a lack of education and awareness, social pressure and conformity, Economic Factors, Marketing, and Accessibility.
These statistics are a representation of the poor food governance within South Africa, to tackle these issues, it is essential to identify and understand the factors that contribute to poor food governance, such as Culture, Societal norms, such as gender roles, a lack of education and awareness, social pressure and conformity, Economic Factors, Marketing, and Accessibility.
Culture
Cultural norms often dictate traditional food practices, which may include unhealthy cooking methods or reliance on certain types of foods that are not nutritious. For example, a culture that values deep-fried foods or sugary desserts may promote poor dietary habits.
Some cultures have specific taboos or restrictions based on religious beliefs or cultural traditions. While these restrictions may have valid reasons, they can lead to imbalanced diets if alternative sources of essential nutrients are not adequately incorporated.
Lack of education and awareness
Cultural beliefs and practices can hinder the dissemination of accurate information about nutrition and healthy eating habits. Misconceptions about certain foods or dietary requirements may prevail due to a lack of education, preventing individuals from making informed choices about their diet.
Social pressure and conformity
Social norms exert considerable influence on individuals' behavior's in relation of their food choices, especially peer pressure amongst young adults, societal expectations, and cultural practices often lead the consumption of unhealthy foods or opens less room for the adoption of healthier alternatives.
Inequality and poverty are major contributing factors to poor nutrition. Poverty stricken individuals often struggle to afford nutritious foods, leading to malnutrition and poor diets. Limited access to resources and education also hinders their ability to make informed choices about their food consumption.
Pricing is another major issue that people confront when trying to make better decisions about their food intake. It is generally knowledge that the businesses that offer these types of goods are frequently quite costly, rendering these programs' ineffective .
Marketing
Marketing campaigns are used to promote unhealthy and processed foods that are high in salt, sugar, or fat. These products may contribute to poor nutrition and increased rates of obesity and chronic diseases.
https://www.marketingweek.com/ad-industry-review-junk-food-advertising/
Targeting vulnerable populations
Marketing tactics are designed to target vulnerable populations such as children and low-income individuals who may be more susceptible to persuasive advertising techniques resulting in the consumption of unhealthy foods by these groups, exacerbating existing health disparities.
The engagement left a room for 3 critical questions in relation to our campaign
How to understand the problem of nutrition in South America
What should we do to solve this problem of poor nutrition in our community?
How should we volunteers monitor the progress and check if the engagement activities implemented are successful?
Finally, the phrases to come are the volunteer ideation process, which strives to generate the best campaign solution from the club, followed by the implementation of the chosen initiative, which will focus on our community. We at UNICEF UJ look forward to joining this endeavor.
BY Renika Solai
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