Food System Reform in Focus as Experts Highlight Malnutrition Challenges

Nutrition/SDPI
Need to shift from wheat-centric approach to nutrition security framework stressed
Lahore (17 March 2026 , Nazrana Times) Ali Imran Chattha 

 Experts, policymakers, and development practitioners at a consultation have stressed the need for transforming Pakistan’s food policies from a wheat-centric approach to a broader nutrition security framework. 
The consultation, titled: “Integrated Roadmap for Sustainable Food Systems Transformation in Pakistan,” was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) as part of a nationwide series of dialogues held in collaboration with the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
During the open discussion, the experts also highlighted a range of environmental, governance and market challenges affecting the food system. They further raised concerns about soil degradation, declining export quality of crops such as citrus and mangoes, increasing conversion of agricultural land into housing societies, and persistent food losses, which remain as high as 40 per cent in some supply chains.
Dr Sajid Amin, SDPI Deputy Executive Director, said the consultation aimed to incorporate provincial realities and local knowledge into national policy planning. He noted that similar consultations were being held across provinces to develop actionable recommendations to ensure food security while improving nutritional outcomes.
Ms Sitara Gill from FAO highlighted that the programme seeks to enhance the availability of nutritious food, promote dietary diversity, and strengthen food security across Pakistan. She pointed to a significant mismatch between the country’s food supply and nutritional requirements, noting that grains, fats, oils and sugar are available in excess, while fruits and vegetables remain far below recommended dietary levels.
Despite adequate calorie availability, she said Pakistan’s nutrition indicators remain alarming. Around 40.2 per cent of children under five are stunted, 28.9 per cent underweight, and 17.7 per cent wasted, while 24.3 per cent of the population faces moderate or severe food insecurity. She also noted that 43 per cent of women of reproductive age suffer from anemia, and only 27.6 per cent meet minimum dietary diversity requirements. Ms Gill warned that increasing consumption of highly processed foods, sweets and snacks signals an urgent need for policies encouraging healthier dietary patterns.
Presenting the fiscal policy perspective, Dr. Asim Bashir Khan highlighted financial constraints affecting food system reforms and called for aligning public spending with nutrition-sensitive interventions. He recommended redirecting subsidies towards healthy foods, reducing taxes on nutritious items, and integrating dietary diversity indicators into social protection programmes.
Discussing structural reforms, Dr Babar Shahbaz from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad said Pakistan faces a paradox of “calorie abundance but nutrition deficit.” While the country is among the world’s leading producers of cereals and milk, it lags the production of fruits, vegetables and pulses needed for a balanced diet.
He proposed a reform agenda based on five pillars, i.e. nutrition-sensitive food environments, climate-resilient crop diversification, strengthened value chains and post-harvest management, adoption of a “One Health” approach linking human, animal and environmental health, and data-driven governance. The plan also called for expanding cold storage infrastructure, reducing post-harvest losses, regulating ultra-processed foods, and developing digital food system databases for improved policy coordination.
Presenting a political economy analysis, Dr Imran Khalid said Pakistan’s national food policy remains heavily centered on wheat and sugar, with insufficient focus on sustainability, nutrition and resilience. He noted that influential interest groups, including large landowners, mill owners and fertilizer lobbies, often resist reforms that could diversify agriculture and improve nutrition outcomes. He suggested shifting the government’s role from a dominant market buyer to a regulator ensuring fair pricing and transparency while promoting climate-smart agriculture.
Dr Khalid Farooq, environmental consultant with the Punjab Health Department, warned that solarization of tubewells has accelerated groundwater extraction, raising sustainability concerns. He also pointed out that although vegetables are widely available, public consumption, particularly among the youth remains low.
Prof Shanawar Waseem Ali from University of the Punjab underlined that the farmers continue to struggle to meet production costs as the government subsidies on agricultural inputs reap limited outcomes. [SG1.1]He highlighted weak market linkages and called for storage models such as silo systems and reforms to reduce the role of middlemen.
Dr Zakir Sial from Punjab Irrigation Department Research Institute stressed that food policy must address water quality and contamination, warning that polluted rivers and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides are affecting food safety and soil health.
Dr Shafqat Munir Ahmed, SDPI Deputy Executive Director, acknowledged that transforming Pakistan’s food system would be a complex process, as it involves changes in policy mindsets, market structures and entrenched interests. He said the initiative aims to shift the policy narrative from “wheat security” to “nutrition security,” while repurposing government support for farmers towards healthier and more sustainable food systems.