NDO - According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition,  nutrition  is one of the top priorities in the national development strategy. Besides the progress achieved, Vietnam is facing new challenges, including increasing overweight and obesity and the triple burden of nutrition.

On the morning of March 19, in Hanoi, the French Embassy in Vietnam organized a workshop "Towards nutrition for growth (N4G): Case studies on school food environment, nutrition and adolescent health in Vietnam".

The workshop was organized by the French Embassy in collaboration with the National Institute for Development Research (IRD) and the National Institute of Nutrition (INN) ahead of the Nutrition for Growth Summit (N4G) to take place in Paris on March 27-28.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, French Ambassador to Vietnam Olivier Brochet said that nutrition is not only a matter of food, but also of health, education, economic development and the future of society. That is also the reason why France is proud to host the Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Paris on March 27-28.

According to Ambassador Olivier Brochet, the N4G Conference is a global event linked to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As the host country of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, France has taken advantage of the global attention on the Games to promote nutrition and health, recognizing that proper nutrition is fundamental to human performance, resilience and well-being.

At the workshop, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition (INN) emphasized: “Nutrition is one of the top priorities in the national development strategy. With comprehensive nutrition policies, Vietnam has made great progress in reducing child malnutrition, improving micronutrients and raising public awareness of healthy diets. However, we are also facing new challenges, including rising overweight and obesity and the triple burden of nutrition.”

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong said that in the National Nutrition Strategy - period 2021-2030, the Vietnamese Government has two commitments: reducing stunting in children under 5 years old, especially in disadvantaged areas and ethnic minorities in the period 2025 - 2030, focusing on improving access to essential nutrition interventions for vulnerable groups nationwide; committing to controlling the increase in overweight and obesity in children aged 0-5 years old in the period 2025 - 2030 nationwide.

Delegates attending the conference took a souvenir photo. (Photo: Kieu Giang)

In recent years, within the framework of the general cooperation between Vietnam and France, the cooperation in nutritional science research between Vietnam and France has been increasingly developed. The French National Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) has cooperated with the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) - Ministry of Health of Vietnam since 1997. Projects on micronutrient supplementation, development of micronutrient supplementation products, nutritional food systems and school nutrition environments have helped scientists from IRD and NIN conduct research activities, obtain scientific articles and contribute scientific evidence to the development of Vietnam's nutrition policy, and contribute to the training of postgraduate students, nutrition techniques and scientific research methods for NIN staff.

Within the framework of the workshop, delegates listened to experts from IRD and NIN analyze the nutritional quality of school meals and the school food environment, and analyze the implementation of school nutrition and health programs for a healthy school food environment.

Kieu Giang - Nhan Dan Electronic Newspaper