Uzbekistan approves complex measures on ensuring healthy nutrition of population for 2015-2020

The concept and complex measures on ensuring healthy nutrition of population of Uzbekistan for 2015-2020 are directed to solve following tasks:

• preventing and reducing the incidence of diseases related to poor diet, organization of a broad outreach and strengthen the promotion of healthy nutrition as the foundation of a healthy way of life, including the active use of the media;
• improving the regulatory framework with a view to further streamlining the organization of nutrition in educational and health facilities, improving the diet of children organized groups, introducing effective quality control mechanisms food and food raw materials, produced in Uzbekistan and imported from abroad.
• creating conditions for meeting the needs of the population in healthy nutrition by encouraging domestic production of food products, especially products rich in essential micronutrients, creation of food products, based on local raw materials, forming an environment, stimulating introduction of healthy nutrition principles among the population;
• conducting fundamental researches in the field of healthy nutrition and dietology, aimed at studying the diet among different population groups and the causes of common diseases related to nutrition.

The concept said that nutrition is important factor, determining health of population. Healthy nutrition will ensure growth, normal development and vital activity of human, strengthening health/

Improving the structure and ration of nutrition, along with other factors, it had a positive impact on health of population. Over the past 10 years, the proportion of children with reduced body weight decreased by more than twice (from 4% to 1.8%), 2.5 times decreased incidence of anemia women. The life expectancy of the population of Uzbekistan increased by 6.5 years (from 67 to 73.5 years), and the average life expectancy for women - up to 75.8 years.

At the same time, positive economic changes and rapid urbanization with its attendant changes in lifestyle have led to an increase in diseases related to poor diet, which observed in all industrialized countries. World Health Organization separated these illnesses in a separate group of non-communicable diseases. Increased non-communicable diseases, along with poor diet, is associated with physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.

The survey in 2014 showed that 67.2% of adult population of Uzbekistan consumes vegetables and fruits less than recommended WHO norms, 37% - food with salt surplus, 16.4% - have low physical activity. In the result, 20.2% of adult population has excessive weight and 33.9% - increased arterial pressure.

The concept envisages improvement of legislative base for providing healthy nutrition to population and forming healthy life-style, mechanisms of supply of healthy food to population, increasing production of local dairy products, expanding assortment of low salt products, conducting research in healthy nutrition and dietology, promoting healthy nutrition and healthy life-style among population, etc.

The realization of the concept will allow to increase consumption of fruits and vegetable by population by 15% by 2020, decrease consumption of foods with high level of salt by 15 and increase share of pregnant women, children up at the age of five, diet of whom will comply to healthy nutrition, by 10%.

It also decrease consumption of tobacco and alcohol by 10% and expand production of local healthy food, increase production of sugar-free products, etc.

The complex of measures on ensuring healthy nutrition of population of Uzbekistan for 2015-2020 envisages realization of concrete projects on realization of the concept. The complex includes 22 projects.

Uzbekistan is planning to implement 3.71 billion soums an US$403,000 to realization of the complex measures.