Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more people than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. But even if people have enough food to survive, this food is variable in nutritional value. This means that even if there is sufficient calorific intake, there is a lack of certain key nutrients. This is generally referred to as ’hidden hunger’ – malnutrition resulting from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Hidden hunger must be eliminated to successfully meet 6 of the 8 Millennium Development goals of the United Nations by 2015.
1/3 of the world’s population suffers from malnutrition. The results of this can extend for example to impaired productive capacity and blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
Malnutrition and hunger together are the cause of 5.5 million deaths among children under five years of age annually (53% of all deaths); those who survive may suffer from lasting effects that reduce their ability to achieve their full intellectual and physical growth potential.
According to WFP, the result of child malnutrition is as much as two to three percent of annual GDP in some developing countries as these children do not grown up to be productive adults.
Malnutrition causes in 1 year:
- 50,000 women to die during or soon after childbirth
- 19 million infants to be born with impaired mental capacity
- 100,000 infants to be born with preventable physical defects
- Global cost of malnutrition amounts to $19 billion in lost adult work performance and related health expenditure
