Food systems for children

In Tanzania, more than 2.4 million children (81 per cent) aged 6–23 months experience child food poverty, consuming fewer than five food groups daily and not getting the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Poor diet quality is a key driver of all forms of malnutrition in the country.

At the heart of this crisis is a food system that fails to provide children with adequate, safe and nutritious diets while also contributing to environmental degradation. Food systems shape the nutritional quality, safety, affordability and sustainability of children’s diets. Yet, in Tanzania, they are increasingly dominated by unhealthy, ultra-processed foods and sugary beverages. One in three children aged 6–23 months consumes sugar-sweetened drinks daily, exacerbating the rise in diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, which account for 27 per cent of all deaths in the country.

UNICEF focuses on improving the quality of children’s foods, food environments and feeding practices – especially in cities - to create food systems that protect, promote and support healthy diets and services that prevent all forms of malnutrition. Addressing the environmental impact of food systems is equally critical. Industrial food production contributes nearly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and relies heavily on freshwater, fertilizers and pesticides, causing widespread ecological damage. This environmental degradation further limits children’s access to safe, healthy and nutritious food.

Key priorities include:

Enhancing the quality of children’s foods by enforcing mandatory quality standards, promoting policies that support healthy diets, incentivizing the local production of nutrient-dense first foods and supplements, and strengthening supply chains to fortify staple foods for children.

Improving food environments where children live, learn and eat by supporting the government with fiscal measures, clear and transparent front of package nutrition labeling, unhealthy food marketing restrictions, providing healthier school meals and supporting communities, including schools, to make informed food choices across the value chain.

Promoting better feeding practices, particularly in early childhood, by protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, harnessing behavioural science to better integrate healthy eating habits through health, education and social protection systems, and promoting social marketing techniques to increase demand for healthier options.

Learn more here