Speakers from the FAO Minimum Dietary Diversity Women (MDD-W) project will share findings from the recent study that compared the two commonly used methods to collect MDD-W data—list-based and open recall—against Weighed Food Records as a reference method. These findings will serve as the basis for the updated version of the FAO publication MDD-W: A Guide to Measurement (2016), to be released at the end of November 2020. The updated guide aims to support and encourage further use of MDD-W as a tool for assessment, target-setting, and advocacy on improving women’s diets globally. Confirmed presenters include Maria Antonia Tuazon (FAO-Food and Nutrition Division (ESN)), Ji Yen Alexandra Tung (FAO-ESN), Isabela Sattamini (FAO-ESN), Pamela Marinda (University of Zambia), and Dilnesaw Zerfu (Ethiopian Public Health Institute). Q&A facilitated by Carl Lachat (Ghent University) will follow presentations.
Speakers:
Maria Antonia Tuazon is a Nutrition and Food Systems Officer with the Food and Nutrition Division (ESN), FAO, and the lead technical officer of the MDD-W project. Prior to joining FAO, she served as Dean of the College of Human Ecology at the University of the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna and was a Professor of Nutrition in the same institution. She has served as Country or Regional Technical Adviser for other UN organizations like WHO, UNICEF and WFP as well as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank in several countries in Asia and the Pacific, Africa and Iran. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands and postgraduate training in Nutritional Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Isabela Sattamini is a consultant at ESN, FAO, primarily focused on the MDD-W project. Prior to joining FAO, she was involved in the multi-country study on “Ultra processed food consumption, nutritional profile of diet and obesity” and the “Nutrient Brazil Cohort project: Food and Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases”. She coordinated the advocacy project for advancing trans-fat restriction laws in Brazil, which later culminated in the national ban law approval in December 2019. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health Nutrition from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Ji Yen Alexandra Tung is a consultant at ESN, FAO. She contributes to the coordination of the MDD-W project, and focuses on research, capacity development and advocacy for the indicator. Her work has also involved dietary assessment, food and nutrition policy analysis, mainstreaming nutrition in biodiversity, food loss and waste and food security and livelihoods. Prior to joining FAO, she worked for the World Food Programme, NGOs, think tanks and in community clinics. She holds a MSc degree in Nutrition from Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Pamela Marinda is a lecturer at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Zambia. She is currently serving on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Health (ANH) Academy Curriculum Enrichment Technical Working Group and also working on developing Nutrition Sensitive Social Protection guidelines for Zambia in collaboration with WFP and the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services. She has served as a PI, Co-PI and Research Scientist on several food security and nutrition studies and contributed towards the development of the Food and Nutrition Policy for Kenya and the National Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Strategy for Zambia. She holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, majoring in Food security and Nutrition.
Dilnesaw Zerfu is a researcher at Ethiopian Public Health Institute and a PhD fellow in human nutrition at University of Copenhagen and Jimma University. His research is mainly focused on micronutrient deficiencies. He has also contributed to the design of national nutrition policy and programme, Micronutrient Deficiency Prevention and Control Guideline, and monitoring and evaluation of the nutrition programme at national level and sub national levels. He is serving as a vice president for the Food and Nutrition Society of Ethiopia. He holds a MSc degree from Addis Ababa University in Food science and Nutrition.
Carl Lachat is Associate Professor at the Department of Food Technology, Safety and Health at Ghent University Belgium. He lectures on food and nutrition policies, nutritional epidemiology, planning and project design and nutrition-sensitive interventions. His main interest is in developing effective approaches to enhance the nutritional status of vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. In addition to empirical research, he actively develops new knowledge with regard to collection, management and integration of food intake data and ways to increase quality of nutrition research and capacity for better policies and practices. He holds a PhD in applied biological sciences from Ghent University.
