National Policy on Food and Nutrition in Nigeria.

This Food and Nutrition Policy develops intervention programmes to reduce malnutrition, above all among children, and pregnant and lactating mothers. The Policy deals with the problem of malnutrition through a multi-sectoral approach, and therefore aims at alleviating poverty, increasing access to productive resources and incomes, and enhanced standards of living. The Policy pursues the following goals and objectives: improving the nutritional status of the population and protecting the welfare of the most vulnerable groups through increased investment in the social sector. Specifically, the Policy focuses on: coordination of food and nutrition activities; promotion of good, indigenous food cultures and dietary habits; improvement of food security provide families with adequate and safe access to food, to meet nutritional requirements; improvement of health care services; improvement of general sanitation and hygiene, including availability of safe drinking water; strengthening farmer education with regard to food crops, and increasing irrigation facilities; promotion of land use and soil conservation practices; providing incentives to youths and encouraging their participation in food production; increasing women’s access to resources for food production; promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and child nutrition programmes; protecting consumer through improved food quality and safety standards.