Laar A. K. auteur aut IRD Addo P. auteur aut IRD Aryeetey R. auteur aut IRD Agyemang C. auteur aut IRD Zotor F. auteur aut IRD Asiki G. auteur aut IRD Rampalli K. K. auteur aut IRD Amevinya G. S. auteur aut IRD Tandoh A. auteur aut IRD Nanema S. auteur aut IRD Adjei A. P. auteur aut IRD Laar M. E. auteur aut IRD Mensah K. auteur aut IRD Laryea D. auteur aut IRD Sellen D. auteur aut IRD Vandevijvere S. auteur aut IRD Turner C. auteur aut IRD Osei-Kwasi H. auteur aut IRD Spires M. auteur aut IRD Blake C. auteur aut IRD Rowland D. auteur aut IRD Kadiyala S. auteur aut IRD Madzorera I. auteur aut IRD Diouf A. auteur aut IRD Covic N. auteur aut IRD Dzudzor I. M. auteur aut IRD Annan R. auteur aut IRD Milani P. auteur aut IRD Nortey J. auteur aut IRD Bricas N. auteur aut IRD Mphumuzi S. auteur aut IRD Anchang K. Y. auteur aut IRD Jafri A. auteur aut IRD Dhall M. auteur aut IRD Lee A. auteur aut IRD Mackay S. auteur aut IRD Oti S. O. auteur aut IRD Hofman K. auteur aut IRD Frongillo E. A. auteur aut IRD Holdsworth Michelle auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access Statement of Significance: In Africa, research and policy action to improve food environments, to reduce intake of suboptimal diets, and associated adverse health outcomes have received insufficient attention. This paper articulates previously unpublished priorities to advance the food environment research agenda, and to generate contextually relevant, fit-for-local purpose evidence to confront unhealthy food environments in Africa. Over the last 2 decades, many African countries have undergone dietary and nutrition transitions fueled by globalization, rapid urbanization, and development. These changes have altered African food environments and, subsequently, dietary behaviors, including food acquisition and consumption. Dietary patterns associated with the nutrition transition have contributed to Africa's complex burden of malnutrition-obesity and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases (DR-NCDs)-along with persistent food insecurity and undernutrition. Available evidence links unhealthy or obesogenic food environments (including those that market and offer energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages) with suboptimal diets and associated adverse health outcomes. Elsewhere, governments have responded with policies to improve food environments. However, in Africa, the necessary research and policy action have received insufficient attention. Contextual evidence to motivate, enable, and create supportive food environments in Africa for better population health is urgently needed. In November 2020, the Measurement, Evaluation, Accountability, and Leadership Support for Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention Project (MEALS4NCDs) convened the first Africa Food Environment Research Network Meeting (FERN2020). This 3-d virtual meeting brought researchers from around the world to deliberate on future directions and research priorities related to improving food environments and nutrition across the African continent. The stakeholders shared experiences, best practices, challenges, and opportunities for improving the healthfulness of food environments and related policies in low- and middle-income countries. In this article, we summarize the proceedings and research priorities identified in the meeting to advance the food environment research agenda in Africa, and thus contribute to the promotion of healthier food environments to prevent DR-NCDs, and other forms of malnutrition. specialized Africa food environments food systems obesity noncommunicable diseases malnutrition research priorities nutrition transition AFRIQUE 054 050 [Early access] [9 p.] 2022 2161-8313 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010084669 10.1093/advances/nmac019 2161-8313 [F B010084669] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010084669 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2022-06/010084669.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2022-06-03 2025-02-24 fdi:010084669 fre