Overnutrition the main problem
Overnutrition and not undernutrition remains one of the main problems that affects the Caribbean. This is in spite of the around 7.5 million of undernourished persons who live within the region.
This is according to Sub-Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Lystra Fletcher-Paul who delivered remarks at the 11th Regional Planner’s Forum under the theme, “Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development”.
She stated that there has been a steady increase in the number of persons who are either overweight or obese and many of these cases are the result of poor nutritional practices that often lead to the onset of a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD).
“Ladies and gentlemen, today the world faces a global food crisis. About 795 million people worldwide are undernourished, 1.9 billion are overweight, while roughly one third of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted. Here in the Caribbean, there are approximately 7.5 million undernourished persons and for many Caribbean countries, the major problem is not undernutrition but overnutrition. The average prevalence of overweight adults in the region increased from 47.9 to 54.9 between 2005 and 2014. In the same period, the prevalence of obesity in adults increased from 15.5 to 21.0. This high incidence of overweight and obesity is linked to poor nutrition habits which contribute to the increased incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases which is the leading cause of death in the region.”
She said that one of the main causes of this poor nutrition is an increase in the consumption of imported foods which are often high in fats, sugar and salt.
As a result, the need to produce locally grown food has taken on even greater significance which calls for a transformation in our agricultural practices and by extension the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2, stated Fletcher-Paul.
“Poor nutrition is attributed to the consumption of imported food which is high in processed carbohydrates, fats, sugar and salt. To address this problem, we must increase our production and consumption of healthy, nutritious local foods. This requires major transformations of our agricultural systems, rural economies and natural resource management. If we are to achieve food and nutrition security and by extension, Sustainable Development Goal 2 – a world free of hunger by 2050, we must produce more local food. But for small island developing states such as ours, production must be done on more or less of the same (and in many cases less) land area, and using the more or less water due to the impacts of climate change. Simply put, the current business as usual model is no longer an option: we must innovate.”