1,000 Culturally-Relevant Recipes For Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

The Foundation for Fresh Produce commits to developing and distributing 1,000 culturally relevant, evidence-based recipes tailored to patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in 20 countries. NCD is a global concern. For instance, 80% of the estimated 463 million adults with diabetes worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (National Institute of Health 2022) These recipes will include nutritional information, practical meal preparation guidance, and culturally adapted dietary recommendations to help patients manage conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. The recipes will be curated with the guidance of local heathcare professionals and localized to meet country-specific needs, from a health impact perspective and contextual eating occasions, customs, meals and snacks. The countries will be evaluated for proof of concept and will be selected from multiple continents.

This commitment will ensure that healthcare providers around the world have easily accessible tools to support patient education and dietary interventions, helping to improve long-term health outcomes in diverse populations.

Key Actions:

1. Development of 1,000 Culturally Relevant Recipes

a. Collaborate with local experts such as nutritionists, chefs, and public health experts across 20 countries to curate recipes aligned with local dietary traditions and health needs.

b. Ensure each recipe meets nutritional standards for NCD management such as low-sodium options for hypertension, low-sugar for diabetes, and heart-healthy fats for cardiovascular diseases.as well as follow the regulations, standards and laws of each individual country,

2. Nutritional Analysis & Medical Relevance

a. Provide detailed macronutrient and micronutrient breakdowns for every recipe, ensuring alignment with global dietary guidelines for NCD prevention and management.

b. Include disease-specific dietary recommendations tailored to each region’s unique health challenges.

3. Healthcare Provider Accessibility & Digital Integration

a. Develop printable toolkits, web-based platforms, and mobile-friendly resources in the primary languages of the country for healthcare professionals

4. Implementation Across 20 Countries

a. Identify 20 target countries where NCDs are highly prevalent or emerging and culturally adapted dietary interventions are needed

b. Access the needs of healthcare professionals and role of resources to support their counseling and interventions

c. Partner with local partners to ensure cultural appropriateness and effectiveness of the recipes.

5. Monitoring & Evaluation

a. Measure the development of the recipes to meet the commitment

b. Collect healthcare provider feedback to refine and enhance the recipe resources.