# Food environment in Burkina Faso: priority actions recommended to the government using Food-EPI tool

## TL;DR

This study recommends 20 priority actions to the government of Burkina Faso to improve the food environment and reduce malnutrition and non-communicable diseases.

## Contribution

The study provides a prioritized list of policy actions tailored to Burkina Faso using the Food-EPI tool.

## Key findings

- Twenty priority policy actions were identified to improve the food environment in Burkina Faso.
- Key actions include regulating food marketing to children and strengthening political leadership in nutrition.
- The recommendations aim to reduce malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases.

## Abstract

The food environment is an important factor in the efforts of countries worldwide to achieve a transition to sustainable food systems. The objective of this study is to formulate and prioritize actions to be addressed to the government of Burkina Faso for the creation of a healthy food environment, which will contribute to reducing malnutrition in all its forms and non-communicable diseases.

National experts were brought together to identify and prioritize actions to fill the gaps identified through a multi-step assessment process following the methodology of the Healthy Food and Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI).

Up to 20 priority policy actions were recommended to the Burkina Faso government. Actions in the policy component focused mainly on regulation of food promotion and marketing, particularly to children, and others in the infrastructure support component focused largely on political leadership, i.e., strong and visible political support from the government to improve the food environment, population nutrition, diet-related non-communicable diseases and their inequalities.

The priority actions to be recommended to the government will strengthen advocacy for government decisions to create a healthier food environment in the country.