Nutrition in question

The Challenges of Modern Nutrition

The challenges are numerous and vary according to geographical, economic and social contexts.

Nutrition is not just an academic debate; it’s a practical matter that affects our health, our society and our planet every day. By highlighting these issues, we hope to inspire positive action for a healthier, more sustainable future for all.

Poor nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life – from the mother’s pregnancy to the child’s second birthday – can limit a child’s life to a series of devastating and irreversible health and social challenges. If, during this sensitive period, children are not provided with the essential ingredients they need to develop their bodies and brains, they are more likely not only to fall ill and die of disease throughout their lives, but also to earn less than their peers when they enter adulthood.

Injustice as serious as that caused by malnutrition is rare. Children are deprived of a future and the opportunity to realize their potential at the very beginning of their lives, condemning them to a less healthy and productive existence than they had hoped for. The potential of one in four children is wasted. The economic growth of nations is slowed.

This situation can be avoided. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are also an immeasurable opportunity to guarantee its health and optimize its potential.

“Stunting affects the ability of individuals and communities to reach their full potential. Optimal infant and young child feeding takes time, and breastfeeding requires space and privacy that mothers often don’t have. Good nutrition implies access to nutritious food, which is often difficult to obtain because of illness. Keeping the promise of Agenda 2030 will not be possible without rapid progress towards eradicating malnutrition, but at the same time, sustainable eradication of malnutrition cannot be achieved by isolated initiatives. “

David Nabarro, Special Advisor on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate; former SUN Movement Coordinator and member of the SUN Movement Core Group

Small, effective interventions for mother and child can collectively make a big difference. These interventions include promoting exclusive breastfeeding soon after birth; educating mothers about health, diversifying diets for their babies and good hygiene practices; supplying women with supplements during pregnancy and children after birth; encouraging farmers to produce varied, nutritious foods and regulating the production of fortified staple foods.

These interventions can reshape a child’s future, giving him or her the chance to become a healthy, productive player in society. So, if we strengthen these interventions to reach every mother-to-be and every child, we can advance entire communities and rewrite the future of nations. There is perhaps no better investment a country can make.

For every dollar invested in nutrition, a country can expect a productivity gain of $16.

Extent of malnutrition

Today, there are few other challenges facing the global community on the scale of malnutrition, a health problem that directly affects one in three people. L’inter-agency team (UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group) has published new joint estimates on stunting, overweight, underweight, wasting and severe wasting in children and theWorld Nutrition Report is the only comprehensive and independent annual review of the state of nutrition worldwide.

Players in the fight against undernutrition