National Food Security, Food Safety and Nutrition Policy

The National Food Security, Food Safety and Nutrition Policy is a sectoral policy of Solomon Islands for the period 2010-2015. Its main goal is to ensure long-term food security and to improve the livelihoods of food producers, consumers and rural and urban communities in the Solomon Islands.
More specifically, the Policy aims to protect the health and nutritional status of the population of the Solomon islands with particular attention to reducing the prevalence of under-nutrition, stunting and wasting among infants and young children; iron-deficiency anaemia among children and women; the prevalence of overweight among predominantly urban adults and children; and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in adults and children. The document also targets to promote and use sustainable agricultural and fisheries production as core elements for assuring both food security and economic development in the Solomon Islands; facilitate trade in safe and healthy food; and increase the capacity for the Solomon Islands to respond in a timely manner to emergencies that adversely affect food security, food safety and nutrition. In addition, the document provides for sustaining integration of food security, food safety and nutrition; increasing agricultural and fisheries productivity in a changing climate; adding health value to food produced and processed within the Solomon Islands and imported into the Solomon Islands; adopting, enforcing and monitoring food standards that are harmonized with standards of other Pacific island countries and with the Codex Alimentarius; scaling up efforts for better nutrition, particularly among the most vulnerable populations; strengthening social marketing and awareness raising to increase the number of consumers making safer and healthier food choices; strengthening research and appropriate technology development in primary production; and increasing emergency preparedness and responsiveness.
According to the Policy, a joint plan of action will be prepared by three Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Health and Medical Services. The plan of action will be drafted using a working group derived from the three Ministries and other key stakeholders. The plan of action will address each of the prescribed strategies and will be for the six year period covered by the Policy.