A new report by United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has said poor diets and a failing food system were responsible for at least 13.1 million cases of malnutrition among children in Nigeria.
Already, Nigeria has the second highest proportion of children suffering malnutrition after the Democratic Republic of Congo in the West and Central Africa region, according to the report.
The report released in commemoration of World Food Day entitled ”The State of the World’s Children 2019: Children, food and nutrition,” said: “At least 1 in 3 children under five is either undernourished or overweight. Almost 2 in 3 children between six months and two years of age are not fed food that supports their rapidly growing bodies and brains.
“13.1 million children are stunted, or too short for their age in Nigeria; 2.9 million children are wasted, or too thin for their height. In Nigeria, malnutrition remains a major public health and development concern:
“As children grow older, their exposure to unhealthy food becomes alarming, driven largely by inappropriate marketing and advertising, the abundance of ultra-processed foods in cities but also in remote areas, and increasing access to fast food and highly sweetened beverages.
”Besides failing food system, poverty and urbanisation, the report also noted that climate-related disasters cause severe food crises in the country.
“To address the growing malnutrition crisis in all its forms, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to government, the private sector, donors, parents, families and businesses to help children grow healthy,” the report stated.
