SRI LANKA FACING TRIPLE BURDEN ON NUTRITION: UN
Sri Lanka is facing a triple burden of malnutrition, with stagnant rates of undernutrition combined with growing overweight/obesity, United Nations said. This was highlighted at the World Food Day national event which was held on Wednesday (16) organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
World Food Day is a day to highlight global efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger, but also to underline the important role of food and agriculture in achieving the overall 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In recent decades, people have dramatically changed their diets and eating patterns as result of globalisation, urbanisation and income growth.
Concerning the situation in Sri Lanka, it said in the recent years, while the prevalence of undernutrition such as wasting and stunting in young children
has remained more or less the same, prevalence of overweight and obesity in schoolchildren and adults have increased. For instance, 45 percent of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) are either overweight or obese.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations have highlighted the need to step up efforts to end malnutrition, and ensure food security and healthy diets for all. The two UN agencies call on all sectors, the government, public sector representatives, farmers, businesses and the general public to make nutrition and healthy diets a priority.
They have moved from seasonal, mainly plant-based and fibre-rich dishes to high calorie diets, which are high in refined starches, sugars, fats, salt, processed foods, meat and other animal-source products. A combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have sent overweight and obesity rates soaring in Sri Lanka and around the world.
Speaking at the World Food Day 2019 commemoration event in Colombo today, Xuebing Sun the FAO Representative for Sri Lanka and the Maldives said, “The public appetite for a better food system is strong. That is clear from consumers’ growing interest in where their food is coming from and how it is produced. That demand can catalyse positive results in the nutrition arena from urging the government to make nutritious foods available, accessible and affordable, and encouraging the private sector to produce healthier food.”
Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, K.D.S. Ruwanchandra speaking at the event he said, “Moving away from highyielding crop production to producing a diversity of nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts is important. It can not only contribute to a balanced diet but can also help farmers become resilient to climate change and produce food according to the demands in the local and international market.”
A combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have sent overweight and obesity rates soaring in Sri Lanka