Why we need to get serious about nutrition

The author contends that increasing food production has not solved global hunger, as 805 million people still go hungry and over two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. The text highlights the coexistence of hunger and obesity, attributing both to a lack of access to balanced diets. It calls for a shift toward sustainable food systems that protect natural resources and prioritize nutrient-dense foods, noting that malnutrition reduces global economic welfare by approximately 5% annually.

• Despite food production tripling since 1945 and food availability increasing by 40% per person on average, at least 805 million people still experience daily hunger, with 791 million of those in developing countries.
• Global nutrition challenges include 'hidden hunger' affecting more than two billion people through micronutrient deficiencies, and a rise in obesity affecting over 1.5 billion people, often due to a lack of affordable and balanced diets rather than food abundance.
• Current food production processes threaten environmental sustainability by depleting wild fish stocks, degrading soils, exhausting freshwater supplies, reducing biodiversity, and encroaching on forests.
• Malnutrition in its various forms results in an annual reduction of global economic welfare by approximately 5% due to additional costs and lost output, while addressing micronutrient deficiencies offers a cost/benefit ratio of nearly 1:13.

APA

Sundaram, J. K. (2014). Why we need to get serious about nutrition. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/hunger-nutrition-food-production-sustainability/

Chicago

Sundaram, Jomo Kwame. Why we need to get serious about nutrition. World Economic Forum, 2014. https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/hunger-nutrition-food-production-sustainability/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Sundaram |first1=Jomo Kwame |title=Why we need to get serious about nutrition |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=31 October 2014 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/hunger-nutrition-food-production-sustainability/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{sundaram2014why, author = {Sundaram, Jomo Kwame}, title = {{Why we need to get serious about nutrition}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/climate-action/hunger-nutrition-food-production-sustainability/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }