WHO calls for anti-obesity initiatives and better food environments in latest nutrition targets

08 Dec 2021 --- The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed six new commitments to accelerate progress on its 2025 nutrition targets pushed off course during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are: 

• Expand initiatives to prevent and manage overweight and obesity.
• Step up activities to create food environments that promote safe and healthy diets.
• Support countries in addressing acute malnutrition.
• Accelerate actions on anemia reduction.
• Scale-up quality breastfeeding promotion and support.
• Strengthen nutrition data systems, data use and capacity.

“Malnutrition in all its forms is one of the world’s leading causes of death and illness,” says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. 

COVID-19 and climate change have exacerbated malnutrition in all its forms and threatened the sustainability and resilience of food systems worldwide.“WHO is committed to supporting all countries to progressively expand access to essential nutrition services as part of their journey toward universal health coverage, and to strengthening sustainable food systems to support healthy diets for all people, everywhere.”

Climate impacts food security 
Despite incremental improvements across all forms of malnutrition over the past decade, this progress has digressed with growing rates of inequity, climate crisis, conflict and global health insecurities.

The multiple burdens of malnutrition, like stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases, are increasingly co-existing within the same community, household, and even within the same individual, states WHO. 

With current trends projecting that one in two people will be malnourished by 2025, an estimated 40 million children will suffer from obesity or overweight in the next decade.

In marginalized communities, child malnutrition and food insecurity are on the rise. Last year, 149 million children had stunted growth due to poor diets, lack of access to clean water and health services, and other accessibility issues. Among 45% of children under five years of age that die, undernutrition was the underlying cause of death.

Nutrition diverted 
While there are positive signs of progress, such as the world hitting the global target to increase exclusive breastfeeding by 2025, the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the nutrition crisis. 

This has particularly affected women and children and brought unprecedented challenges and diversion of resources away from the global systems for nutrition, including health, food, social protection and humanitarian assistance infrastructure.

“Today, less than 1% of global development assistance focuses on nutrition,” adds Dr. Francesco Branca, director of WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. An estimated 40 million children will suffer from obesity or overweight in the next decade, says WHO.

“There needs to be accelerated action to end unhealthy diets and malnutrition, and WHO’s new commitments to the Nutrition for Growth Summit reflect this.”

Tackling food inequality
Industry players have been interested in methods and strategies to tackle food inequality globally.

Last month, UK-based Charity Right emphasized the need for nutrition in tackling world hunger as malnutrition continues to rise. 

Nestlé recently unveiled a sorghum-based porridge using valorized ingredients to combat hunger.

Previously, ADM and Concern Worldwide partnered to tackle malnutrition in Ethiopia and Kenya through the Lifesaving Education and Assistance to Farmers (LEAF) Project.

Edited by Elizabeth Green