FAO report: TT obesity grows, more hungry people in the region

In recent years, several major drivers have put the world off track to ending world hunger and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The challenges have grown with the covid19 pandemic and related containment measures. While the pandemic's impact has yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population were undernourished last year.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2021 report shows that of the total number of undernourished people in 2020 (768 million), more than half (418 million) live in Asia and more than one-third (282 million) in Africa, while Latin America and the Caribbean accounts for about eight per cent (60 million). Compared to 2019, about 14 million more in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by hunger in 2020.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the data shows a marked decrease number of undernourished persons between the period 2014-2020, dropping from 11.1 per cent to 6.7 per cent. However, there have been marginal increases in the following areas:

prevalence of stunting in children (under five years)

prevalence of overweight in children (under five years)

prevalence of obesity in the adult population (18 years and older)

The word “hunger” speaks powerfully to most people, but its meaning ranges from short-term physical discomfort to life-threatening lack of food, and often encompasses broader issues related to food access and socioeconomic deprivation. In this latest report, the term hunger is synonymous with chronic “undernourishment”, which is defined as a level of food intake insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements. People facing severe food insecurity, on the other hand, have likely run out of food, experienced hunger and, at the most extreme, go for days without eating.

Malnutrition refers to undernutrition (indicators of undernutrition include child stunting and wasting and micronutrient deficiencies) as well as overweight and obesity. Malnutrition is caused by inadequate, unbalanced or excessive consumption of macronutrients and/or micronutrients, as well as health-related factors that affect their absorption by the body. Food insecurity is a risk factor for malnutrition.

Food insecurity goes beyond hunger. A person is food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to the unavailability of food and/or a lack of resources to obtain food. Some people who, while not “hungry” in the sense that they suffer physical discomfort caused by severe lack of dietary energy, may still be moderately food insecure. They may have access to food to meet their energy requirements, yet are uncertain that it will last, and may be forced to reduce the quality and/or quantity of the food they eat to get by.

This year's edition of The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is the first global assessment of its kind in the pandemic era. The report is jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

While the covid19 pandemic surely was a contributing factor, increases in hunger from 2019 to 2020 cannot be attributed only to the pandemic given the many other factors at play. Hunger has been on the rise for several years, and the pandemic has exacerbated the situation.

The increase in hunger in 2020 is consistent with existing evidence of the economic hardships induced by the covid19 crisis that have likely aggravated inequalities in access to food. The World Bank estimates that covid19 pushed an additional 119 million to 124 million people into extreme poverty in 2020.

Surveys reveal staggering proportions of both urban and rural households that reported a decrease in their income after the beginning of the covid19 crisis. This is despite an unprecedented response by countries worldwide to implement social protection measures. However, the speed, coverage, generosity and duration of the social protection responses varied across regions and countries, as did their effectiveness in mitigating the impacts of the pandemic on poverty. With some exceptions, data suggest that coverage has been relatively short-lived. On average, responses lasted just over three months, and roughly 40 per cent of programmes consisted of one-time payments.

It is worth noting, however, that poverty reduction does not always translate into improved food security. It is commonly understood that poverty goes hand in hand with hunger and malnutrition. Poverty is indeed one of the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Transforming food systems is essential to achieve food security, improve nutrition and put healthy diets within reach of all. This year's report outlines six "transformation pathways". These, the authors say, rely on a "coherent set of policy and investment portfolios" to counteract the hunger and malnutrition drivers.

The report urges policymakers to:

Integrate humanitarian, development and peacebuilding policies in conflict areas – for example, through social protection measures to prevent families from selling meagre assets in exchange for food;

Scale up climate resilience across food systems – for example, by offering smallholder farmers wide access to climate risk insurance and forecast-based financing;

Strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable to economic adversity – for example, through in-kind or cash support programmes to lessen the impact of pandemic-style shocks or food price volatility;

Intervene along supply chains to lower the cost of nutritious foods – for example, by encouraging the planting of biofortified crops or making it easier for fruit and vegetable growers to access markets;

Tackle poverty and structural inequalities – for example, by boosting food value chains in poor communities through technology transfers and certification programmes;

Strengthen food environments and changing consumer behaviour - for example, by eliminating industrial trans fats and reducing the salt and sugar content in the food supply, or protecting children from the negative impact of food marketing.

For more information, and to access the full report, please visit https://bit.ly/2W1U8gM.

The above article was courtesy the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Representation for Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname