One in seven people globally are undernourished
One in seven people globally are undernourished, and many more suffer from the 'hidden hunger' of micronutrient deficiency, while 1.3 billion are overweight or obese, Olivier De Schutter, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, said in Geneva.
"Urbanization, supermarketization and the global spread of modern lifestyles have shaken up traditional food habits. The result is a public health disaster," the special rapporteur said.
"The right to food means not only access to an adequate quantity of food, but also the ability to have a balanced and nutritious diet," Mr. De Schutter underlined. "Governments must not abstain from their responsibility to secure this right."
Mr. De Schutter identified five priority actions for placing nutrition at the heart of food systems in the developed and developing world:
taxing unhealthy products;
regulating foods high in saturated fats, salt and sugar;
cracking down on junk food advertising;
overhauling misguided agricultural subsidies that make certain ingredients cheaper than others; and
supporting local food production so that consumers have access to healthy, fresh and nutritious foods.
