National Plan of Action for Nutrition is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The goal of this Plan of Action is to achieve and maintain nutritional well-being and health of the population.
Nutritional objectives, considerations and components will be incorporated into national development policies of other relevant sectors to ensure food security and safety. Capacities of Central Planning Department and National Food and Nutrition Committee will be increased to strengthen food, nutrition and health related activities. Awareness will be raised on nutrition, non-communicable diseases, iron deficiency anemia and breast-feeding by the National Food and Nutrition Committee through community training and other communication means. Coordination between the relevant ministries and NGOs will be strengthened by the National Food and Nutrition Committee. Integrated nutrition education programs will be established for the youth and parents. The importance of local and regional food will be emphasized in schools. Moreover, home and vegetable gardening and poultry farming will be promoted with a gender-sensitive approach to ensure food security at the household level. Research on food production, resistant crop varieties, and plant protection technologies will be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Research Division. District Agricultural Committees will be encouraged to meet monthly for the planning of new planting targets. In order to ensure food security, production of fruits, vegetables, fish, and marine products will be increased. Consumption of fish products will be promoted taking into account their nutritional value and health benefits. New food industries, including dairy industry will be established. Safe and nutritious food will be available to men, women and children, with a special emphasis on most nutritionally vulnerable and most affected in rural areas. To this end, nutrition situations will be assessed, monitored and analyzed regularly.
Public health will be protected through effective management of infectious diseases, food safety, and promotion of appropriate diets and healthy lifestyles. Food Research and Development Centre will be established to ensure food safety and quality. Technical services and technology will be provided to the food industry sector to meet the quality requirements of the market. Food processing and manufacturing practices will be controlled by the Government. Survey will be conducted on the levels of pesticides and contaminants. A mechanism will be established to coordinate the recall of food products which pose a risk to public health. Moreover, a National Food Standards Code will be developed and implemented. Consumer awareness will be raised especially on food values, food labels, wise health choices and buying skills. A Consumer Association will be established to strengthen consumer protection. Environmental impact assessment will be conducted by the National Food and Nutrition Committee for health and nutrition activities. Land use planning policies will be developed and adopted in cooperation with the Ministry of Lands and Survey. Data in the fields of agriculture, horticulture and fisheries will be disseminated to farmers and fishermen to increase food production for export and local consumption. Volume of locally produced fruit and vegetables will be increased and the potential markets will be identified. Furthermore, commercial production of quality fish and marine products will be encouraged for domestic consumption as well as for export.