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From Calorie-Centered to Nutrition-Centered Subsidies: A Framework for Aligning Food Support Policies with Nutrition Security, Public Health, and Sustainable Development in Iran
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A Milani-Bonab   , N Kalantari , A Haghaghian-Roudsari , J Mirzay Razzaz , S Pourmoradian , A Zargaraan , F Mohammadi-Nasrabadi , F Esfarjani , S Rezakhani , SH Davoudi * |
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Abstract: (2 Views) |
Background: Food and nutrition security constitutes a fundamental pillar of public health, social justice, and sustainable development. To achieve this goal, a range of programs and policies — including subsidies across multiple components of the food and nutrition system — have been implemented. Despite the widespread deployment of cash transfers, consumption subsidies, and production subsidies in Iran, evidence indicates that the country continues to face the simultaneous challenges of food insecurity, hidden malnutrition, nutritional inequality, and a rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. The persistent increase in food prices, combined with the widening gap between household incomes and the cost of an adequate diet, has made the revision of food support policies all the more urgent. In light of these shortcomings, this policy brief seeks to provide a framework for optimizing Iran's food and nutrition subsidy system.
Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods design. In the first phase, policy and integrative documents related to food and agriculture, nutrition and health, and economic and social protection were examined using directed content analysis and the Policy Triangle Framework. In the second phase, to validate the findings and formulate policy recommendations, a three-round Delphi study was conducted with fifteen experts drawn from the fields of nutrition, public health, agricultural economics, and food policy.
Findings: Results indicated that cash subsidies have played an effective role in reducing hunger and severe food insecurity but have had limited impact on improving dietary quality and addressing micronutrient deficiencies. Consumption subsidies were found to be predominantly focused on calorie provision, with insufficient attention to the nutrient density of food items. Production subsidies, while effective in boosting output of certain strategic commodities, have contributed in several instances to the erosion of agricultural biodiversity, the homogenization of dietary patterns, and the exacerbation of the double burden of malnutrition. Findings further revealed that escalating food prices have constrained the effectiveness of support policies, and that the absence of coordination among the agriculture, health, welfare, and economic sectors represents one of the principal barriers to achieving nutrition security objectives in Iran.
Conclusions and Policy Implications: A transition from calorie-centered to nutrition-centered subsidies is an imperative for advancing food security and public health in Iran. Anchoring policy in an Optimal Food Basket as a shared cross-sectoral benchmark; targeting consumption and production subsidies according to nutritional value; strengthening community nutrition literacy; leveraging fiscal instruments to reshape consumption patterns; and establishing an integrated food and nutrition governance system are all measures that can enhance the effectiveness of support policies and facilitate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, food justice, and public health objectives.
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Full-Text [PDF 758 kb]
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Article type: Brief Policy |
Subject:
nutrition
Received: 2026/06/1 | Accepted: 2026/01/30 | Published: 2026/06/1
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Milani-Bonab A, Kalantari N, Haghaghian-Roudsari A, Mirzay Razzaz J, Pourmoradian S, Zargaraan A, et al . From Calorie-Centered to Nutrition-Centered Subsidies: A Framework for Aligning Food Support Policies with Nutrition Security, Public Health, and Sustainable Development in Iran. Iranian J Nutr Sci Food Technol 2026; 20 (5) :163-168 URL: http://nsft.sbmu.ac.ir/article-1-4171-en.html
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