Abstract
The global food system is failing to meet nutritional needs, with growing concerns for health related to both under-, over-consumption and severe micronutrient deficiency. The 2nd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2) targets the end of malnutrition in all forms by 2030. To address this challenge, the focus around food security and malnutrition must be broadened beyond the scope of sufficient energy intake to take full account of total nutrient supply and requirements. Here, for the first time, we have quantitatively mapped the global food system in terms of energy, protein, fat, essential amino acids, and micronutrients from 'field-to-fork', normalised to an equitable per capita availability metric. This framework allows for the evaluation of the sufficiency of nutrient supply, identifies the key hotspots within the global food supply chain which could be targeted for improved efficiency, and highlights the trade-offs which may arise in delivering a balanced nutritional system.
Highlights
Global Malnutrition BurdenThe global food system is currently failing to meet the nutritional needs of a growing human population (FAO et al, 2015; Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2017b)
Malnutrition exists in various forms beyond insufficient energy intake: it’s estimated that approximately one billion people suffer from protein deficiency (Wu et al, 2014); one-third of under-5 s are stunted; more than two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies; and paradoxically two billion adults are classified as overweight or obese, with strong links to an alarming rise in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type-II diabetes and heart disease (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2016)
The global food system was mapped from crop production through to per capita food consumption using FAO Food Balance Sheets (FBS) from its FAOstats databases (FAO, n.d.)
Summary
Global Malnutrition BurdenThe global food system is currently failing to meet the nutritional needs of a growing human population (FAO et al, 2015; FAO, 2017b). Malnutrition exists in various forms beyond insufficient energy intake: it’s estimated that approximately one billion people suffer from protein deficiency (Wu et al, 2014); one-third of under-5 s are stunted (low height-for-age; Ahmed et al, 2012); more than two billion suffer from micronutrient deficiencies ( known as “hidden hunger”; von Grebmer et al, 2014); and paradoxically two billion adults are classified as overweight or obese, with strong links to an alarming rise in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type-II diabetes and heart disease (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2016) This challenge exists across countries of all income levels, with a growing number of developing nations experiencing a “triple burden”— an increase in the prevalence of obesity in parts of the population alongside the wide prevalence of undernourishment and micronutrient deficiencies (Alexandratos and Bruinsma, 2012). It’s estimated that malnutrition could negatively impact global gross domestic product by 10% per year (Horton and Steckel, 2011)
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