“Not the domain of any one sector”: UN calls for multisectoral approach to rising malnutrition and obesity

16 Jul 2019 --- Over two billion people are estimated to not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food, with 820 million people not having enough to eat in 2018 – marking an increase from 811 million in 2017. This is according to this year’s UN report, The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. It presents that this is the third consecutive year that world hunger has increased while overweight and obesity rates in all regions are also rising. The researchers note that the different forms of malnutrition are interlinked and more must be done to cushion the blows of economic slowdowns on people’s access to nutritional foods.

“One of the biggest surprises from the report is that hunger is increasing in middle-income countries as a result of economic slowdowns and contractions. Rising unemployment, declining wages and loss of income are reducing people’s purchasing power and challenging their access to food and basic services such as health care,” Cindy Holleman, Senior Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, tells NutritionInsights.

Issues with the economy are leading to increased hunger. While the UN’s 2017 report identified three factors behind the rise in hunger (conflict, climate, economy), this report focuses on the role of economic slowdowns and downturns in food security and nutrition. The UN aims to end hunger, promote food security and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030 as part of its Sustainable Development Goal 2 Zero Hunger (SDG 2) scheme, but this report shows that the targets are increasingly out of reach.

Holleman also notes how economy-wide shocks are limiting people’s coping capacities, especially for the poor. At the same time, sluggish economic growth is negatively affecting public spending and the continuity of social programs, safety nets, and health services, thereby leaving behind many of the most vulnerable households in need.

Hunger is most dire in Eastern Africa, where nearly a third of the population is undernourished – a rate driven by climate, conflict and economic slowdowns. Additionally, Africa in general has the highest global hunger rates, with almost half of countries with rising hunger since 2011 being in the continent. 

Asia is home to the largest number of undernourished people (over 500 million), with most of this population living in the southern Asian countries. Together with Africa, the continents account for over nine out of ten of all stunted children and over nine out of ten of all wasted children worldwide.

The obesity paradox and call for action
As the rate of world hunger increases, so do overweight and obesity rates, especially among school-age children and adults. In addition to the issues of stunting and wasting, Asia and Africa are home to nearly three-quarters of all overweight children globally – a rate primarily driven by unhealthy diets. The latest worldwide estimates show that one in five school-age child and adolescent is overweight, while two in five adults are overweight, representing two billion adults worldwide.

“Though it may appear as a paradox, food insecurity is often associated with overweight and obesity, particularly in middle- and high-income countries. The higher cost of nutritious foods and the stress of living with food insecurity are some of the important factors that explain why food-insecure families may be at a higher risk of overweight and obesity. During times of economic downturn, the poor often must resort to the cheapest foods – but these are the highly processed foods, high in saturated fats and sugars, which are linked to rapidly rising rates of overweight and obesity,” explains Holleman. 

The report calls for a mass transformation of food systems to remedy the double burden of malnourishment. According to Holleman, a multifaceted and multisectoral approach is needed, as well as increased and bolder actions to address the issues at hand.A multifaceted and multisectoral approach is needed to transform food systems. 

“The different forms of malnutrition are interlinked, and tackling them is not the domain of any one sector alone. The health, agriculture and economic policy sectors all have a role to play and must align their actions. This includes transforming agriculture and food systems such that the type of commodities and the quality of food that they produce contribute to improving access to more nutritious foods for all. Measures need to be put in place to safeguard the nutritional quality of diets during economic slowdowns or downturns,” she continues. 

Additionally, the coherence is needed in national policies and investment plans, including trade, food and agricultural policies, to promote a healthy diet and protect public health. Holleman recommends increased incentives for producers and retailers to grow, use and sell fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as decreased incentives for the food industry producing processed foods with a high content of saturated fats, trans-fats and free sugars.

“We need to be establishing standards to foster healthy dietary practices through ensuring the availability of nutritious, safe and affordable food in pre-schools, schools, other public institutions, and in the workplace. Regulatory and voluntary instruments are also critical to promote a healthy diet. This could take the form of marketing and food labeling policies, and economic incentives or disincentives like taxation and subsidies,” says Holleman. 

Finally, increasing dietary diversity and increasing healthier food environments could safeguard against the effects of economic slowdowns or downturns. Trade policy should feature prominently in the minds of policymakers when promoting economic transformation that helps achieve food security and nutrition objectives. 

The integration of food security and nutrition concerns into poverty reduction efforts, while increasing synergies between poverty reduction and hunger eradication must also be part of the transformation, Holleman concludes. 

A plethora of solutions are being trialed and tested in the fight against malnutrition. Earlier this year, the Global Food Policy Report, published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), noted that a revitalization of rural areas is urgently needed to stop rising malnutrition rates. 

Meanwhile, three UN agencies launched an initiative that seeks to empower rural women and men through improved food security and better nutrition. The FAO, the International Fund For Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) plan to address the root causes of rural gender disparities and thus strengthen efforts to end hunger and promote sustainable agriculture. The EU will support the initiative by allocating €5 million (US$5.6 million) to finance the four-year program. 

By Katherine Durrell, with additional reporting by Laxmi Haigh