The World Bank now has a checklist for fixing food systems in poor countries

The World Bank has created a new guide to help countries improve their food systems. It provides a structured list of questions to assess food safety, nutrition, waste, and livestock practices.

For years, development agencies have struggled to identify the specific policy and regulatory gaps that prevent food systems from working in developing countries. This guide gives them a standardized way to diagnose problems and pinpoint where to invest. It means that future World Bank projects will likely focus on these specific areas, rather than broad, undefined goals.