Child Food Poverty.

Addressing Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood: The Crisis of Child Food Poverty

Across the globe, millions of parents and families struggle to provide the nutritious and diverse foods that young children need to thrive. Increasing inequities, conflicts, climate crises, rising food prices, the prevalence of unhealthy foods, aggressive food marketing, and poor child feeding practices are condemning millions of children to a state of food poverty. 

UNICEF defines child food poverty as the inability of children to access and consume a nutritious and diverse diet during early childhood. This deprivation is particularly harmful at a young age, as insufficient dietary intake of essential nutrients can severely impact a child's survival, physical growth, and cognitive development, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and deprivation for these children and their families.

The report, "Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood," explores the status, trends, inequities, and drivers of child food poverty. Key findings include:

*: One in four children worldwide suffers from severe food poverty in early childhood, affecting 181 million children under the age of five.

*: While progress towards eradicating severe child food poverty is slow, some regions and countries show that improvement is possible and ongoing.

*: Severe child food poverty affects children in both poor and non-poor households, indicating that household income is not the sole determinant of this issue.

*: Children experiencing severe food poverty miss out on many nutrient-rich foods, with unhealthy foods becoming a staple in their diets.

*: The global food and nutrition crisis, coupled with localized conflicts and climatic shocks, exacerbates severe child food poverty, particularly in fragile countries.

*: Severe child food poverty is a significant driver of child undernutrition, with its prevalence being three times higher in countries with a high rate of child stunting.

Call to Action: Ending Severe Child Food Poverty

The vast scale of severe child food poverty, the slow progress over the past decade, and its detrimental impacts on child survival, growth, and development necessitate a significant shift in commitment, actions, and accountability. To combat child malnutrition, governments and partners must invest in initiatives that improve children’s access to diverse and nutritious diets, ultimately aiming to eradicate severe child food poverty.

UNICEF urges national governments, development and humanitarian partners, donors, civil society, media, academic, and research organizations to take the following actions:

*: Recognize reducing child food poverty as essential for achieving global and national nutrition and development goals, and commit resources to end this issue.

*: Ensure food environments promote nutritious, diverse, and healthy foods as the most accessible, affordable, and desirable options for young children. The food and beverage industry must comply with policies that protect children from unhealthy foods and beverages.

*: Deliver essential nutrition services through health systems, including counselling and support on child feeding practices, prioritizing the most vulnerable children to prevent and treat malnutrition.

*: Address income poverty with measures responsive to the food and nutrition needs of the most vulnerable children and their families, including social transfers to protect those at highest risk of food poverty.

*: Enhance data systems to assess the prevalence and severity of child food poverty, detect early increases, especially in fragile and humanitarian contexts, and track national and global progress in reducing severe child food poverty.

The report, "Child Food Poverty: Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood," provides a comprehensive examination of the status, trends, inequities, and drivers of child food poverty. It outlines a strategic agenda to address this issue, focusing on transforming food systems, leveraging health systems, and activating social protection systems to prioritize children's right to food and nutrition in early childhood.

Addressing child food poverty is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty and deprivation that traps millions of children and their families. By prioritizing nutritious and diverse diets for young children, transforming food systems, and leveraging health and social protection systems, we can make significant strides towards ending severe child food poverty. UNICEF's call to action emphasizes the need for a coordinated and committed effort from all sectors of society to ensure that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential through adequate nutrition.

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