Ahead of the October 16, World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO) of the United Nations said more than 600 million people fall ill and 420,000 die every year as a result of eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals.
This is as the FAO said over 2.8 billion people are unable to afford a healthy diet.
The call to action on a healthy diet is the backdrop of the 2022 report by the World Health Organization (WHO) which revealed that 2.5 billion adults (18 years and older) were overweight.
Of these, 890 million were living with obesity, and 37 million children under the age of 5 were overweight.
It noted further that 22.3 per cent of children under the age of five are too short for their age (stunted) and 6.8 per cent are too thin for their height (wasted).
The FAO said, “Around 733 million people are facing hunger in the world due to repeated weather shocks, conflicts, economic downturns, inequality, and the pandemic.
“Food insecurity is more prevalent among adult women than men in every region of the world. Worldwide, women are 1.3 per cent more likely to be moderately or severely food insecure than men.
“Healthy diets are diverse, balanced in energy intake, adequate in all nutrients and moderate in the intake of unhealthy foods.
“The right to food means that food must be adequate, available and accessible to all. It is a legally binding human right in international law, enshrined in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1966.
“171 countries have ratified the ICESCR and at least 45 countries have recognized the right to adequate food in their constitutions.”
The FAO warned that conflict and violence are still the primary causes of hunger, citing that In 2023, conflict remained widespread and was the primary driver affecting almost half (nearly 135 million in 20 countries) of those suffering acute hunger.
Subsequently, the UN food body warned that the vast climate change disproportionately affects the rural poor, their agricultural yields and productivity, contributes to increasing pests and diseases and changes the nutrient composition of major staple crops.
Also, it noted that wetlands, the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems are disappearing three times faster than forests, and 85 per cent have been lost over the past 300 years.
It said, “The world’s smallholder farmers produce around a third of the world’s food and around 600 million people depend, at least partially, on aquatic food systems for a living.
“Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared to 2°C, will benefit water resources and reduce water stress induced by climate change” the FAO assured would save the wetlands.
The FAO urged world leaders and stakeholders to adopt approves that are not harzodouse to the ecosystem and pose a threat to healthy food consumption.