More Than Food Is Needed to Achieve Good Nutrition by 2020

Recent evidence indicates that improvements in household food security, as measured by adequate calories, do not necessarily translate into improvements in the nutritional status of women and children. An analysis of national trends in food consumption and the nutritional status of people in developing countries over the past two decades suggests that, while there has been some improvement in achieving greater household food security, this has not resulted in comparable reductions in child malnutrition. According to data compiled by the United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination--Sub-Committee on Nutrition (ACC/SCN), the number of households that are food insecure decreased globally by about 200 million between the periods 1974-76 and 1988-90. At the same time, however, the number of malnourished children actually increased by 16 million. The probability of becoming malnourished has declined for children born today, compared with those born in the 1970s (except in Sub-Saharan Africa). Nevertheless, the absolute number of children born each year is increasing, and therefore the number of children at risk of malnutrition continues to rise.