Listen to Story The 2024 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR), released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), reveals that over 2 billion people in the world cannot afford healthy food, mostly in South Asia and Africa. "According to the report, 2 billion people are affected by micronutrient deficiencies, while 2.2 billion people are overweight or obese, with 40% of all adults falling into these categories and 1.
2 billion people have high blood pressure," said Dr Purima Menon, CGIAR and IFPRI's Senior Director for Food and Nutrition, at the launch event in Kathmandu, Nepal. The report addresses the growing challenges of unhealthy diets, malnutrition, and environmental issues. In many low- and middle-income countries, progress in reducing undernutrition and vitamin deficiencies has slowed, while obesity and overweight rates are rising worldwide.
The report identifies a 'double burden' of malnutrition with rising obesity and undernutrition coexisting. (Photo: Getty Images) Many countries now face a "double burden" of malnutrition, where undernutrition and deficiencies coexist with obesity and diet-related diseases within communities and individuals. Besides this, the report highlights an urgent need to make food systems more environmentally sustainable.
Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director at CGIAR, emphasised that meeting global goals for diets and nutrition requires innovative research and action to make healthy diets accessible, affordable, and desirable for all. The report, co-authored by 41 researchers from IFPRI and partner organisations, calls for immediate efforts to change food systems to ensure everyone has equal access to healthy diets. Deanna Olney, Director of IFPRI’s Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, pointed out that poor-quality diets are the leading cause of disease worldwide.
Improving diets should be a top priority in tackling all forms of malnutrition and diet-related diseases, she stated. The report highlights an urgent need to make food systems more environmentally sustainable. (Photo: Getty Images) Another key finding in the 148-page report shows that 148 million children under five are stunted, while 48 million are wasted and 0.
5 billion people suffer from diabetes. Adding to this burden, the document states that "given the scale of the problem, it would cost at least $1.3 trillion per year to provide the world’s diet poor with enough cash to afford healthy diets .
Solving the problem thus demands multiple investments." Besides this, IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Dr Avinash Kishore pointed out that malnutrition rates are quite high in South Asia and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise. Around 148 million children under five are stunted, while 48 million are wasted and 0.
5 billion people suffer from diabetes. (Photo: Getty Images) Dr Kishore identified several reasons for poor diets in South Asia, including low crop diversity, low per capita incomes, high relative prices of nutritious foods, underdeveloped markets, and the widespread availability and aggressive promotion of high-calorie processed foods. "The recommendation is to consume 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily, but among the regional countries, only the Maldives meets this standard, with Nepal close behind.
India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan fall short of this benchmark,” he said, referencing the report. The 2024 GFPR offers evidence-based recommendations to make healthy foods more accessible, affordable, and appealing while considering their environmental impact. According to randomised controlled studies conducted by the researchers, showed positive effects of eating biofortified crops.
For example, children in India who ate zinc-enriched wheat daily experienced a significant reduction in the number of days they spent with common infections. Further, the study highlighted that the consumption of calorie-dense and processed foods (chocolates and sugar confectioneries , salty snacks, beverages, ready-made and convenience foods, and breakfast cereals) is increasing in India and other countries of South Asia. "After cereals and milk, snacks and prepared foods make up the largest share of Indian food budgets," the report stated.
The GFPR provides a comprehensive roadmap for the changes needed in global food systems so that everyone has access to nutritious, sustainable diets. It is a crucial contribution to global discussions on food security, public health, and sustainable development, the researchers said..
