FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group

1. FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group The Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group (AGND) is part of FAO’s Nutrition and Consumer Protection Division (AGN). It gives technical assistance to FAO member countries to develop policies and programmes to foster public understanding of diets that promote health and raise levels of nutrition. The group provides nutrition information materials, technical guidelines and tools for use by nutrition professionals, trainers and educators; it trains national staff in innovative nutrition education methods and communication strategies; and it develops and implements technical assistance projects in collaboration with national governments.

2. Needs Analysis for Professional Training in Nutrition Education and Communication Effective education is an important factor in improving nutrition and health, however, nutrition education continues to be overlooked in health and food security interventions. Furthermore, it is often weak or absent in professional training. In response to this gap, the Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group undertook a needs analysis in September 2010, with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Its prime focus is the assessment of the need for professional training in NEAC in Africa, as a preliminary to developing a learning module with the possibility of an on-line option. "Nutrition Education and Communication" here means learning where and how to "do" nutrition education. It deals with methodologies and approaches in all forms of promoting healthy eating: behaviour change communication, health promotion, community counselling, and with all workplaces, communities, health services and schools.The target audience includes university students and in-service professionals studying or working in agriculture, horticulture, medicine, health promotion, education or community work as well as in nutrition itself. After an intensive review of the literature, training and nutrition education training available internationally and especially in Africa, seven countries (Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Botswana, Egypt, Tanzania, Ghana) were selected for the country case studies to explore the state of NEAC in training, interventions, policies and programmes. The final report will be available in June 2011. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for a world without hunger FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group Ellen Muehlhoff Senior Nutrition Officer Tel. 0039 06 5705 4113 E-mail: nutrition-education@fao.org www.fao.org/ag/humannutrition/nutritioneducation www.nutritionlearning.net