Poverty and economic difficulties are the biggest challenge for not only managing to eat, but doing so in a nutritionally adequate way. This will be addressed in the next report on The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020 (SOFI), which will be presented in New York on 13th July, coinciding with the presentations of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF ).
The topic of this year’s report is: Transformation of food systems to provide healthy and affordable diets for everyone. The report analyses the cost and affordability of these healthy diets since, as noted by the FAO, diet quality is a crucial link between food security and nutrition that is often overlooked, but which must be given serious consideration if we really want to achieve the goals of the SDG 2 in relation to hunger, food security and nutrition.
The report will also address another interesting issue: the hidden costs that current consumption habits represent both for society and for the health of the planet. This includes, for example, those related to health and the consequences of climate change. The analysis includes a comparison of these costs with what would happen if we changed our habits and adopted healthier diets that take sustainability into account.
SOFI this year provides new estimates on global hunger and adds to the usual evaluation with a forecast of what may be the situation in 2030 if the trends of the past decade were to continue. Given that the coronavirus crisis continues to plague some areas intensely, the report seeks to predict some of the consequences that this pandemic will have on food security and nutrition.
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an example of collaboration between five of the United Nations agencies: FAO, IFAD, WHO, WFP and UNICEF. This is a prestigious report which had warned in its previous three editions that unfortunately, the trend that has been observed over the last few decades of the decline in hunger in the world has stopped. It also increases the concern for data on obesity and overweight. On 13th July we will know exactly where we stand.