Build Healthy, Sustainable Food Systems to Fight Malnutrition

Jomo Kwame Sundaram was the Coordinator for Economic and Social Development at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. By Jomo Kwame SundaramKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Mar 22 2016 (IPS)Creating healthy and sustainable food systems is key to overcoming hunger and all forms of malnutrition (undernourishment, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity) around the world. Food production has tripled since 1945 while average food availability per person has risen by 40 per cent. Current food systems are not delivering well on ensuring healthy diets for all. We have to fix the problem. The most efficient and sustainable approach will be to reshape and strengthen food systems that support healthy diets for all. Jomo Kwame Sundaram. Credit: FAOThe international community is facing several nutrition-related challenges. The health of more than half the world’s over seven billion people is compromised by malnutrition. Despite abundant food supplies, almost 800 million people (or one in nine) still go hungry every day. The health of at least another two billion people is compromised by various micronutrient deficiencies. Another 2.1 billion people are overweight, of whom about a third are obese, consuming more food than their bodies need, and exposing themselves to greater risk of diabetes, heart problems and other diet-related non-communicable diseases.Malnutrition in all its forms i...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Conferences Featured Food & Agriculture Global Headlines Health IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse Natural Resources Population Poverty & SDGs Source Type: news