Food prices decline but remain dangerously high
While food prices have been in decline over the last six months, they still remain at historically high levels, according to the World Bank Group’s quarterly Food Price Watch report. It finds that in addition to hunger and under-nutrition, high food prices also contribute to obesity, half of the overweight population of the world being concentrated in nine countries.
“Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries. When poor people with some disposable income in developing countries try to cope with high and increasingly volatile food prices, they also tend to choose cheap food that is high in calories but without much nutritious value”, said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group’s Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management.
In 2008 the number of overweight adults was estimated at over 1.4 billion, a number expected to almost double by 2030. However, despite the gravity of the issue, not enough importance is being attributed to overcoming this problem states the latest Food Price Report. According to Canuto, the post-2015 development agenda offers a good opportunity for integrated actions at global level to fight all forms of malnutrition – from hunger to obesity.
Source:
