Improved metrics and data are needed for effective food system policies in the post-2015 era
This Global Panel’s technical brief (PDF) argues that the research community and governments need to work together to develop better ways to collect data which focuses on the nutritional impacts of food policy interventions. The brief is aimed at analysts, statistical experts and decision makers who use evidence to guide their policy choices. It argues that more collaboration is needed to develop robust mechanisms to collect better food system-wide data to help them design and evaluate the nutritional impacts of food policy interventions. Four main recommendations are made, including that governments should assume responsibility for enhancing national statistical capacity to generate the disaggregated data needed to support domestic and global development goals and the timely assessment of policy impacts. And, The global research community, including scientists from low and middle income countries, should actively define appropriate metrics that support measurement of progress in achieving food system efficiency and healthy diets, both locally and globally.