Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam

Objective: Food systems and food environments are evolving rapidly in Viet Nam, concurrently with significant shifts in dietary patterns and health outcomes. This study aims to identify critical gaps in the national regulatory framework governing food environment in Viet Nam and to propose actionabl...

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Autores principales: Even, Brice, Truong, Thi Thu Trang, Thai, Thi Minh Hang, Pham, Thi Mai Huong, Nguyen, Thu Duong, Bui, Thi Viet Anh, Bene, Christophe
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Frontiers Media 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174279
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author Even, Brice
Truong, Thi Thu Trang
Thai, Thi Minh Hang
Pham, Thi Mai Huong
Nguyen, Thu Duong
Bui, Thi Viet Anh
Bene, Christophe
author_browse Bene, Christophe
Bui, Thi Viet Anh
Even, Brice
Nguyen, Thu Duong
Pham, Thi Mai Huong
Thai, Thi Minh Hang
Truong, Thi Thu Trang
author_facet Even, Brice
Truong, Thi Thu Trang
Thai, Thi Minh Hang
Pham, Thi Mai Huong
Nguyen, Thu Duong
Bui, Thi Viet Anh
Bene, Christophe
author_sort Even, Brice
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Objective: Food systems and food environments are evolving rapidly in Viet Nam, concurrently with significant shifts in dietary patterns and health outcomes. This study aims to identify critical gaps in the national regulatory framework governing food environment in Viet Nam and to propose actionable recommendations to overcome these gaps. Results: Using the Food Environment Policy Index from the INFORMAS network, we mobilized a transdisciplinary panel of 18 experts to co-analyze and assess policy evidence, as well as co-develop policy recommendations. The assessment, encompassing 35 indicators across six food environment domains, revealed substantial gaps: 74% of indicators scored low or very low, while only 26% scored medium or high. Key gaps were identified in food composition standards, marketing, labeling, and financial incentives. Recommendations from the experts focused on strengthening food composition standards, enhancing consumer education, and fostering inter-sectoral policy integration. Implications: This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of Viet Nam’s food environment policies and offers actionable recommendations to foster food environments conducive of healthier diets. Drawing on Viet Nam as a case study representative of challenges in other low- and middle-income countries, our findings highlight the importance of strong political commitment to prioritize public health over industry interests in order to create healthier, more equitable food environments and food systems.
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spelling CGSpace1742792025-12-08T10:29:22Z Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam Even, Brice Truong, Thi Thu Trang Thai, Thi Minh Hang Pham, Thi Mai Huong Nguyen, Thu Duong Bui, Thi Viet Anh Bene, Christophe food systems food policies healthy diets food environment Objective: Food systems and food environments are evolving rapidly in Viet Nam, concurrently with significant shifts in dietary patterns and health outcomes. This study aims to identify critical gaps in the national regulatory framework governing food environment in Viet Nam and to propose actionable recommendations to overcome these gaps. Results: Using the Food Environment Policy Index from the INFORMAS network, we mobilized a transdisciplinary panel of 18 experts to co-analyze and assess policy evidence, as well as co-develop policy recommendations. The assessment, encompassing 35 indicators across six food environment domains, revealed substantial gaps: 74% of indicators scored low or very low, while only 26% scored medium or high. Key gaps were identified in food composition standards, marketing, labeling, and financial incentives. Recommendations from the experts focused on strengthening food composition standards, enhancing consumer education, and fostering inter-sectoral policy integration. Implications: This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of Viet Nam’s food environment policies and offers actionable recommendations to foster food environments conducive of healthier diets. Drawing on Viet Nam as a case study representative of challenges in other low- and middle-income countries, our findings highlight the importance of strong political commitment to prioritize public health over industry interests in order to create healthier, more equitable food environments and food systems. 2025 2025-04-22T13:13:42Z 2025-04-22T13:13:42Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174279 en Open Access application/pdf Frontiers Media Even, B.; Truong, T.T.T.; Thai, T.M.H.; Pham, T.M.H.; Nguyen, T.D.; Bui, T.V.A.; Bene, C. (2025) Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam. Froniters in Public Health 13: 1548956. ISSN: 2296-2565
spellingShingle food systems
food policies
healthy diets
food environment
Even, Brice
Truong, Thi Thu Trang
Thai, Thi Minh Hang
Pham, Thi Mai Huong
Nguyen, Thu Duong
Bui, Thi Viet Anh
Bene, Christophe
Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title_full Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title_fullStr Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title_full_unstemmed Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title_short Unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in “emerging” countries: the case of Viet Nam
title_sort unpacking food environment policy landscapes for healthier diets in emerging countries the case of viet nam
topic food systems
food policies
healthy diets
food environment
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174279
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