Food Literacy Strategy and Action Plan of Türkiye 2022-2028.

The Food Literacy Strategy and Action Plan of Türkiye is a national policy, covering the period between 2022 and 2028. This policy lays down short-, medium- and long-term targets to contribute to the sustainability of global consumption and production and the agriculture-food system by supporting food literacy in Türkiye. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Turkish people have access to safe food and to encourage adequate and balanced nutrition by implementing intersectoral policies within the scope of the Food Literacy Action Plan. The strategic objectives of this policy are: (I) to develop food literacy skills; (II) to provide accurate and up-to-date information on food safety and nutrition; (III) to prevent the spread of misleading information about food; (IV) to develop consumer (human) centered food and nutrition information education; (V) to raise awareness about food systems; and (VI) to prevent food loss and waste.
This policy applies to the following topics: (i) ensuring that society has access to accurate information about food and nutrition, and preventing information pollution, (ii) empowering consumers by establishing a system that will enable society and individuals to make the right decisions about food; (iii) involving society and individuals in the prevention and control of diseases related to malnutrition (obesity, nutrient deficiencies, food-borne diseases, etc.) through food literacy skills; (iv) improving the competence of individuals and society to make healthy choices through multi-component interventions, taking into account the needs of different age groups, gender and socioeconomic groups to improve food literacy; (v) providing easily understandable and sufficient information and skills about foods; and (vi) developing food system policies that affect nutrition quality, food and nutrition security.
The targets laid down in this policy are as follows: (a) improving food and nutrition knowledge and skills at the individual level to better understand the nutrients in foods and how they can affect health; (b) ensuring self-efficacy and self-confidence in food literacy at the individual level; (c) improving food decision (nutrition behavior), such as preparing meals, developing a healthy relationship with food, respecting food traditions and culture; (d) raising awareness about food literacy and sustainable food systems in society and their impact on individual health, social and economic well-being and the environment; (e) improving food literacy skills in society; (f) preventing pollution of food information in society; (g) preventing the spread of misleading information about food; (h) providing label reading information; (i) minimizing food loss and waste; (j) improving nutritional diversity and quality; and (k) raising awareness about the sustainable management and use of ecosystems, natural resources, water and biodiversity.