The Global Nutrition Report said that globally, malnutrition led to “11% of GDP being squandered as a result of lives lost, less learning, less earning and days lost to illness.”
And the numbers are made more appalling by the fact that they cut both ways: not enough food and too much food. Every nation except China (whose regions could probably be included if you separate urban and rural) had crossed a “malnutrition red line”, suffering from too much or too little nutrition.
On the sad side of the spectrum the UN World Food Programme estimates that poor nutrition causes nearly half of deaths in children aged under five, that’s- 3.1 million children each year. In addition lack of food restricts brain and immune system development.
At the fat end of the wedge the problems include obesity, diabetes, vascular disease.
Ironically half of the countries are grappling with under-nutrition and also over-nutrition problems!
You would think that bi agribusinesses and food companies would have helped but they seem to exacerbate the problems by pushing sugar to the overfed and pulling livelihoods from the underfed.
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