A welcome acknowledgement of the importance of nutrition but overall package is a fraction of what’s needed

Today, the G7 issued its commitment to the global food and nutrition crisis with the G7 Statement on Global Food Security. The Power of Nutrition responded:

The UN Secretary General warned this month of “multiple famines in 2022” and that “this year’s food access issues could become next year’s global food shortage…no country will be immune”. The writing is on the wall, yet the leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries have delivered a package that will only tackle a fraction of the need.

Whilst there is a welcome acknowledgement of the importance of nutrition (and we look forward to the detail on this) and the commitment to “spare no effort to increase global food and nutrition security and to protect the most vulnerable” is a powerful statement of intent, there sadly is a huge gap between rhetoric and reality. We remain deeply concerned the world is not doing nearly enough to react to the hunger and malnutrition crisis that is around the corner.

We support the short-term efforts to get Ukraine’s grain out and to ensure agricultural markets and trade in food continues to flow. Though the statement is stronger on longer-term reforms required to get the world’s food system working more effectively, we still believe the world needs a ‘Global Alliance for Food AND Nutrition Security’, not just for ‘Food Security’.

Ultimately, there is still much to be done if the world is to effectively respond to the record high 323 million people currently at risk of becoming acutely food insecure in 2022. Millions of lives depend on it.

ENDS

For more information, please contact The Power of Nutrition at news@powerofnutrition.org