Food system contradictions

While the proportion (‘prevalence’) of undernourished people had hovered around 8 % since 2015, it spiked to nearly 10 % in 2020, notably due to the impact of COVID-19. It decreased in 2022, but is still above the pre-pandemic level. Data from The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023 report (often referred to as ‘SOFI’) – jointly published by the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (see the box on these ‘Rome-based agencies’ later in this briefing), UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) – show that (see Figures 1 and 3):
 in 2022, between 691 million and 783 million people around the world faced hunger (SDG indicator 2.1.1) – this means that more than nine people in 100 did ‘not have regular access to enough calories, or dietary energy, for an active and healthy life’. The situation is worse than in 2015 (when this concerned eight people in 100). Sub-Saharan Africa (22.5 %) and Southern Asia (15.6 %) are far above the world average;
 in 2022, 2.4 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity (SDG indicator 2.1.2) – this means that nearly 30 people in 100 lacked ‘regular access to enough safe and nutritious food’;
 in 2021, more than 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet – this means that more than 42 people in 100 could not benefit from varied and minimally processed food, including whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits and vegetables, with moderate amounts of eggs, dairy, poultry and fish, and minimal red meat, while limiting highly processed items.

Food deprivation or unhealthy diets can have life-threatening impacts on children: they risk suffering from stunting (very low height for their age) or wasting (very low weight for their age and muscle mass loss). This can also lead to problems with learning and development, and make them more susceptible to diseases. In 2022, stunting (SDG indicator 2.2.1) affected 148 million children under five, and wasting (SDG indicator 2.2.2) affected 45 million children under five (see Figure 3).