The 2024 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR) released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) shows that more than 2 billion people in the world cannot afford healthy food, most of them in South Asia and Africa.

“According to the report, 2 billion people are affected by micronutrient deficiencies, while 2.2 billion people are overweight or obese, with 40% of adults falling into these categories and 1.2 billion people suffer from hypertension,” said Dr. Purima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition, CGIAR and IFPRI, at the event in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The report notes the growing challenges of unhealthy diets, malnutrition and environmental issues.

Progress in reducing undernutrition and vitamin deficiencies has slowed in many low- and middle-income countries, while rates of obesity and overweight are rising worldwide.

Many countries now face a “double burden” of malnutrition, where communities and individuals suffer from undernutrition and deficiencies as well as obesity and diet-related diseases.

Furthermore, the report highlights the urgent need to make food systems more environmentally sustainable.

Ismahan Elloufi, Acting Managing Director of CGIAR, stressed that innovative research and action are needed to meet the global goals for diet and nutrition, to make healthy diets accessible, affordable and desirable for all.

Co-authored by 41 researchers from IFPRI and partner organisations, the report calls for urgent efforts to transform food systems to ensure that everyone has equitable access to healthy diets.

Deanna Olney, Director, Nutrition, Diet and Health Unit, IFPRI, said poor quality diet is a major cause of diseases worldwide.

He said improving diet should be the top priority to combat all forms of malnutrition and diet-related diseases.

Another key finding of the 148-page report is that 148 million children under the age of five are stunted, while 48 million are wasted and 0.5 billion people suffer from diabetes.

Adding to this burden, the document states that “given the scale of the problem, it would cost at least $1.3 trillion per year to provide the world’s poor with enough cash to afford a healthy diet. Thus, multiple investments are needed to address the problem.”

Furthermore, Dr. Avinash Kishore, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, pointed out that South Asia has a very high rate of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise.

Dr. Kishore identified several causes for poor diets in South Asia, including low crop diversity, low per capita income, high relative prices of nutritious foods, underdeveloped markets, and the widespread availability and aggressive promotion of high-calorie processed foods.

“It is recommended to eat 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day, but among regional countries, only Maldives meets this standard, with Nepal coming very close. India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan fail to reach this standard,” he said, citing the report.

The 2024 GFPR provides evidence-based recommendations to make healthy foods more accessible, affordable, and attractive, while also considering their environmental impact.

According to randomized controlled studies conducted by researchers, eating bio-fortified crops showed positive effects.

For example, children in India who ate zinc-enriched wheat daily showed a significant reduction in the number of days they suffered from common infections.

Furthermore, the study highlighted that the consumption of calorie-dense and processed foods (chocolate and sugar confectionery, salty snacks, beverages, prepared and convenience foods, and breakfast cereals) is increasing in India and other countries in South Asia.

“After cereals and milk, snacks and prepared foods make up the largest share of the Indian food budget,” the report said.

The GFPR provides a comprehensive roadmap for the changes needed in global food systems to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious, sustainable diets.

The researchers said it is an important contribution to global discussions on food security, public health and sustainable development.