Challenges in integrating intercultural nutrition into the design of public policies and social programs in Mexico

Abstract

In Mexico, public policies aimed at addressing malnutrition have made progress in terms of coverage and the reduction of specific indicators. However, significant challenges remain in addressing the needs of rural and Indigenous communities through a culturally appropriate approach. This perspective article examines the limitations of the evidence-based nutrition paradigm in culturally diverse contexts, highlighting the need to move toward an intercultural nutrition model that integrates local knowledge, eating behavior, and the right to adequate food. Through a conceptual review, six topics are addressed: the concept and limitations of evidence-based nutrition; the nutritional and sociocultural situation of Indigenous peoples in Mexico; the evaluation and transformation of Mexican food culture; the characteristics of the Mesoamerican diet; the main features of social programs; and the contribution of food anthropology to the design of public policy. The need to rethink institutional models in order to guarantee the right to adequate, culturally adequate, and sustainable food is emphasized. Therefore, nutrition strategies must be built through community participation, recognizing the richness of traditional food systems. This involves not only adapting programs to local languages, worldviews, and practices, but also incorporating territorial and agroecological approaches into food-related interventions.