SOWC 2019: Children, food and nutrition: Growing well in a changing world

By:
Unicef
Date:
2019
Resource type:
Reports and discussion papers
"We as communities, parents, governments, food corporations, marketers and global citizens have a collective responsibility to put children’s needs at the heart of our food systems." 

 

The Unicef State of the World's Children 2019 report focuses on the "Changing face of malnutrition" and steps that need to be taken to ensure children have access to safe, healthy diets that allow them to develop and grow to their full potential. In particular, the report looks at the complex nature of nutrition with regards to intergenerational cycles of malnutrition, globalization, urbanization and climate shocks. 

The report calls for collective action from government, business and civil society to make changes that make nutritious foods available, affordable and desirable for children around the world in order to tackle the multiple forms of malnutrition that often coexist: undernutrition, hidden hunger and overweight/obesity. "While governments may be at the forefront in setting policies, strategies and programmes, they cannot do it alone. Business and civil society groups, as well as families, children and young people themselves, all have important roles to play."

Alongside the full report, Making Food Systems Work for Children sets out policy recommendations with supporting success stories:

  1. Empower families, children and young people to demand nutritious food 

  2. Drive food suppliers to do the right thing for children

  3. Build healthy food environments for all children

  4. Mobilize supportive systems to scale up nutrition results for every child

  5. Collect, analyse and use good-quality data and evidence regularly to guide action and track progress

There are also great graphics and key global nutrition statistics from the report here: The changing face of malnutrition

 

You may also be interested in this analysis in Forbes: The battle to end undernutrition, obesity and hidden hunger

 

 

 

This resource presents evidence or data but has not been peer reviewed