Ranjan K Baruah
One of the paradoxes is that while over 820 million suffer from hunger, even more people suffer from overweight and obesity. In one side we are talking about making right to food for all so that no one remains unhealthy or under developed especially amongst children. Achieving Zero Hunger is not only about addressing hunger, but also nourishing people, while nurturing the planet.
This year, World Food Day which is observed on 16th October calls for action across sectors to make healthy and sustainable diets affordable and accessible to everyone. At the same time, it calls on everyone to start thinking about what we eat. People around the world have changed eating habits or foods due to fast changes and globalisation. We have moved to junk or fast food as we are struggling to save time because we are focusing more on earning money. Income growth also adds on the changing habits even when it comes to food.
We have moved from seasonal, mainly plant-based and fibre-rich dishes to diets that are high in refined starches, sugar, fats, salt, processed foods, meat and other animal-source products. Less time is spent preparing meals at home, and consumers, especially in urban areas, increasingly rely on supermarkets, fast food outlets, street food vendors and take-away restaurants. But we must focus more on healthy diets and also a balanced diet. A healthy diet is one that meets the nutritional needs of individuals by providing sufficient, safe, nutritious and diverse foods to lead an active life and reduce the risk of disease.
A combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles has sent obesity rates soaring, not only in developed countries, but also low-income countries, where hunger and obesity often coexist. Now over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and boys (5-19 years) are obese, and over 40 million children under 5 are overweight, while over 820 million people suffer from hunger.
An unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. Linked with one fifth of deaths worldwide, unhealthy eating habits are also taking a toll on national health budgets costing up to USD 2 trillion per year. Obesity and other forms of malnutrition affect nearly one in three people. Projections indicate that the number will be one in two by 2025. The good news is that affordable solutions exist to reduce all forms of malnutrition, but they require greater global commitment and action.
Climate change threatens to reduce not only the quantity of crops, lowering yields, but also the quality or nutritious value. We have two key challenges when it comes to food. Making the world a place of zero hunger and also generate awareness to make people aware of obesity and life style diseases. One side we see how people struggle for food due to poverty and on other side people wasting foods. We have all solutions to make the world free from hunger, what we need is our commitment towards the cause. Not only government but even individuals may contribute towards making the world a place of zero hunger. Let us all work together to make healthy foods available for all.
(With direct inputs from FAO publication and the writer is associated with North East Youth Foundation and feedback may be sent to
[email protected])