About 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, one in eleven globally, and one in five in Africa.
Also, 1.2 billion adults have been projected to be obese by 2030. This is contained in the 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) Report.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SOFI Report is a collaborative effort by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and other world organisations. The others are the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Health Organisation, and the World Food Programme.
The report was made available to journalists by Victor Aguayo, the Director, of the Child Nutrition and Development Programme Group, UNICEF, on Thursday in Lagos.
The report stated that, in 2023, 2.33 billion people faced moderate or severe food insecurity, with more than 864 million experiencing severe food insecurity. It added that more than 2.8 billion people were not able to afford a healthy diet in 2022, with 71.5% in low-income countries affected.
On exclusive breastfeeding, it said that progress had been made, with rates increasing to 48%. It, however, said that achieving the other global nutrition targets remained challenging.
On child malnutrition, the report said that stunting among children under five years was at 22.3%, with stagnation in low birthweight prevalence and increased anaemia in women. It said that adult obesity had risen to 15.8% in 2022 from 12.1% in 2012 with projections indicating 1.2 billion obese adults by 2030.
The report called on all governments to increase investments in proven, sustainable and cost-effective interventions to prevent child malnutrition, focusing on the critical first 1,000 days.
“Good nutrition in early childhood is a game changer for children and nations,” it said.
It urged governments to adopt fiscal and regulatory policies to promote access to nutritious, safe, affordable and sustainable foods for children and their families. It also enjoined governments to discourage the production, marketing and consumption of nutrient-poor and ultra-processed foods and beverages.
“Investing in data in these areas is important,” it added.