Beyond the Plate: Investing in Nutrition to De-risk Food Systems
While agri-food investments have proliferated in recent years, they often lack a focus on healthier value chains. This session will explore how to unlock more impact-driven funding for nutrition using established methodologies.
This session will provide participant with:
– A clearer understanding of what it means to invest in nutrition — including how it is defined, operationalized, measured, and monitored
– Real-world examples demonstrating how nutrition-focused investments work in practice
– Insights into how to strengthen the enabling environment for such investments, particularly by building a stronger business case for healthier foods
The session will begin with a framing presentation, followed by a panel discussion and an opportunity for group engagement.
Framing this topic
This short section provides context for the event to ensure all participants, regardless of prior knowledge, are equipped to engage with the discussion.
The 2024 World Bank Investment Framework estimates the cost benefit of investing in nutrition at 1:23. While the macroeconomic case is clear, the business case for investing in healthier foods remains less well-defined.
This session will dive into the investment case for nutrition, highlighting recent developments that are improving food systems in both high-income and emerging markets. It will examine the growing alignment on defining investments in nutrition; the metrics used—ranging from those employed by S&P Global and large corporates to those favored by impact investors—and showcase real-world examples of capital flowing into healthier food products and companies that are scaling successfully.
