Nutrition information as an activist tool with special reference to Iraq

Abstract

As Nutrition Activism gains ground the basic political causes of malnutrition are now being given much greater prominence. Nevertheless, activism remains suspect in the scientific and especially in the academic environment. For activism to be successful, reliable nutritional data are required and cooperation between nutrition scientists and activists is essential. Following involvement in four United Nations Food and Nutrition Evaluation Missions to Iraq in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 2000. I became convinced that, despite the oil‐for‐food programme (SCR 986), the economic sanctions themselves were the largest single cause of malnutrition and child mortality in Iraq and therefore should be opposed on humanitarian grounds. The conclusions of these studies, however, generally remained within UN and development circles, with only limited impact on the Security Council's sanctions policy. Nevertheless, all food, nutrition and health surveys since the early days of the embargo have told essentially the same story: severe malnutrition in hospitals, malnourished children and under‐nourished adults in the towns, ever changing food prices, increased mortality and a general breakdown in the whole fabric of society. In this, they have supported those made by independent activist groups whose reports have often been dismissed by Western governments as naive and biased. This important story of death and deprivation, has been significantly under‐reported in Western media. Nutritionists and Activists working in cooperation together, can perhaps help to change misguided United States and United Nations policies.