Food security is not equal, and children need help

Food Security Day was marked across the planet yesterday to remind us of one of the basics of human existence – the critical importance of proper nutrition. The day is endorsed by the UN General Assembly, which noted: “Food is a requisite for human survival and wellbeing and a fundamental human necessity.” Yet many in the world enjoy inadequate nutrition – either too little food, or the wrong type of food. Despite giant advances in agricultural production, transport and food technology, the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s 2018 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report revealed hunger is once more on the increase.

Happily, South Africa is the most food-secure country in Africa and features in the top 50 foodsecure countries in the world. However, this does not translate into all citizens being well nourished.

The opposite is in fact the case, and children and young women are particularly vulnerable.

It is a disgrace that more than a quarter of preschool children in SA suffer from stunting as a result of malnutrition. This condition impacts a child’s physical and cognitive development, placing these youngsters at a grave disadvantage from the outset of their school careers. Another statistic is equally startling: about three quarters of children under the age of two do not have an acceptable diet.

Rapid urbanisation and the concomitant change in lifestyle is one of the reasons for poor nutrition. What people eat and how they eat changes in cities. Fast food, starch-heavy diets, lack of access to homegrown fruit and vegetables and fewer home-cooked meals contribute to what has been termed an obesity epidemic, as well as to malnourishment in childhood.

Despite SA’s extensive grant system, poverty sees many families eating less and relying on starchand sugar-filled diets to stave off hunger pangs.

Unclean water and poor sanitation breed diseases that prevent nutrients being adequately absorbed. This is of particular concern in our drought-stricken province, where many waterways are severely polluted.

We need to bolster sustainable agriculture, encourage community vegetable gardens, clean up waterways, educate people about better eating options and provide a nutritional safety net for the most vulnerable.

It is a disgrace that more than a quarter of preschool children are stunted as a result of poor diet