Poor diet risks equates annual global financial crises – Report

A report by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition has revealed that the burden of malnutrition is equivalent to that of experiencing a global financial crisis every year.  In Africa and Asia, the estimated impact on gross domestic product (GDP) is 11 percent every year — more than the annual economic […]

A report by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition has revealed that the burden of malnutrition is equivalent to that of experiencing a global financial crisis every year.
 In Africa and Asia, the estimated impact on gross domestic product (GDP) is 11 percent every year — more than the annual economic downturn caused by the global financial crisis of 2008-10.
 The report titled “Food Systems and Diets: Facing the Challenges of the 21st Century” outlined the toll that malnutrition takes on individuals and nations today, while also forecasting the expanding costs and consequences if these trends continue.
 The report, launched at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), provides a guide for governments and decision-makers to change course through action and investment to create food systems that promote health and deliver quality diets.
 Food systems, which include how food is cultivated, raised, transported, processed and marketed, play a central role in delivering high-quality diets. But today’s food systems are too focused on quantity and not enough on quality. Low-quality diets are a driving force in increasing rates of overweight, obesity and chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, while also fueling non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.
 Without immediate action, the situation is set to worsen dramatically over the next 20 years as powerful drivers of change, including population growth, climate change and urbanization converge on our food systems.
Data from the report shows that while income growth can help to alleviate hunger, it does not guarantee accessibility to healthier, quality diets. While many people today have better diets than before, the intake of foods that undermine diet quality has increased even faster. For example, the sale of ultra-processed food and beverages rose from one-third of those in high income countries in 2000 to more than half by 2015.
“We must rethink how we look at nutrition and food systems. Nutrition is not just a health and social development issue, but an investment that can spur economic growth,” said Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank and member of the Global Panel. “Nutrition fuels gray matter infrastructure—the minds of the next generation that will drive progress and innovation. If we do not act, we will fail to unleash the full potential of millions of people around the world.”
The report calls on governments, donors and global partners to put food systems at the center of global action, including the Sustainable Development Goals.