Miller Magazine Issue: 152 August 2022

38 MILLER / AUGUST 2022 NEWS • Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019, reflecting the effects of inflation in consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pan- demic and the measures put in place to contain it. • An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children’s risk of death by up to 12 times. Furthermore, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essen- tial nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight. Looking forward, projections are that nearly 670 million people (8 percent of the world population) will still be facing hunger in 2030 – even if a global economic recovery is taken into consideration. This is a similar number to 2015, when the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition by the end of this decade was launched under the 2030 Agen- da for Sustainable Development. As this report is being published, the ongoing war in Ukraine, involving two of the biggest global pro- ducers of staple cereals, oilseeds and fertilizer, is disrupting international supply chains and pushing up the prices of grain, fertilizer, energy, as well as ready-to-use therapeutic food for children with se- vere malnutrition. This comes as supply chains are already being adversely affected by increasingly fre- quent extreme climate events, especially in low-in- come countries, and has potentially sobering impli- cations for global food security and nutrition. “This report repeatedly highlights the intensifica- tion of these major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate extremes and econom- ic shocks, combined with growing inequalities,” the heads of the five UN agencies wrote in this year's Foreword. “The issue at stake is not whether adver- sities will continue to occur or not, but how we must take bolder action to build resilience against future shocks.” Finally, the report also points out that governments could do more to reduce trade barriers for nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables and pulses.