Families forced to cut back on food

Families forced to cut back on food after a year of soaring food prices

16 February 2012

New research by Save the Children has revealed that after a year of soaring food prices, nearly half of the families surveyed said that they had been forced to cut back on food.

Even before the food price spikes, many of the world’s poorest children were already surviving on a sparse, low-cost diet dominated by a basic staple such as white rice, maize or cassava, which has very low nutritional value.

In the report, ‘A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition’, Save the Children warns that if no concerted action is taken, half a billion children will be physically and mentally stunted over the next 15 years, their lives blighted by malnutrition.

Although malnutrition is the underlying cause of a third of child deaths, it has not received the same high-profile campaigning and investment as other causes of child mortality like HIV and AIDS or malaria said Save the Children New Zealand CEO Liz Gibbs.

“While the child mortality rate from malaria has been cut by a third since 2000, child malnutrition rates in Africa have decreased by less than 0.3%,” said Ms Gibbs.

“And the costs - both in human and economic terms - are huge. For instance, a child who is chronically malnourished can have an IQ of up to 15 points less than a child properly nourished.”

Save the Children estimates the cost to the global economy of child malnutrition in 2010 alone was nearly US$121 billion.

However, the charity believes that a mixture of basic measures can collectively turn the tide on malnutrition and reduce vulnerability to food price spikes. Measures include: fortifying basic foods with essential minerals or vitamins; encouraging exclusive breastfeeding for children up to 6 months of age; and better investment in cash transfers with payments targeted at the poorest families.

The poll, conducted in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru and Bangladesh – the five countries where more than half of the world's malnourished children live – found that nearly a third of parents surveyed said their children complained they didn’t have enough to eat. One in six surveyed had asked their children to skip school to work to help pay for the families’ food.

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A_life_free_from_hunger.pdf

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