State of global nutrition landscape revealed

• The recently published 2018 Global Nutrition Report has revealed that the global burden of malnutrition is still unacceptably high, but there is an opportunity to get back on track and meet global nutrition targets .
• The report also highlights that while there has been some progress, it is often too slow and limited to certain forms of malnutrition 
• DSM welcomes the publication of the report as a call to action for the global community and national stakeholders to tackle the global problem of malnutrition together 

Food fortification to fight hidden hunger

The fortification of staple foods is a key strategy identified in the report to help support communities with widespread micronutrient deficiencies and tackle hidden hunger.

Hidden hunger occurs when people do not get all of the vitamins and minerals they need over a long period of time despite consuming sufficient calories. Adding vitamins and minerals to common foods, like flour and rice, can help improve the lives of populations worldwide. DSM’s Nutrition Improvement activities have provided high quality, affordable and innovative nutritional solutions in the developing world for decades.

Anthony Hehir, Director – Nutrition Improvement, DSM Nutritional Products Human Nutrition & Health commented, “We’re committed to achieving a brighter future for everyone through optimal nutrition. And collaboration with NGOs, governments and academic institutions is key to doing this successfully. We work with partners including the World Food Programme, UNICEF, World Vision and Vitamin Angels to provide nutrition solutions for the world's most vulnerable populations and help solve the challenges outlined in the Global Nutrition Report.“

Data and collaboration key to tackling malnutrition

Data is critical to improving our understanding of malnutrition to help drive better informed decision making when it comes to developing nutrition improvement programs as well as accurately tracking progress. Poor quality and misrepresentative data are common problems flagged in the report, and it is vital that standardized methods of data collection and reporting are established.

However, while having quality data is important, the right structure needs to be in place to deal with it effectively. The report sets out five critical steps that need to be taken for a successful and united global approach to tackling malnutrition:

1. Break down silos between malnutrition in all its forms and develop comprehensive programs to tackle it
2. Prioritize and invest in the data needed and the capacity to use it
3. Scale up and diversify financing for nutrition to build on past progress
4. Focus on healthy diets to drive better nutrition and engage across countries to address this universal problem
5. Improve the targets and commitments that are driving actors to meet global nutrition targets