Malnutrition is one of the biggest challenges our society is facing currently. With the changing times, malnutrition, which was only considered when a person or child was hunger-stricken, can now be the case of any of the two situations, hunger-stricken or obese. Malnutrition is beyond the concept of not getting the right amount of food; it is about not getting the right amount of nutritional food that our body needs. If we talk about the stats and data of children suffering from malnutrition, around 2 million kids alone suffer from malnutrition in Nigeria, and about two-thirds of the total population suffering from malnutrition alone belongs to the Asia continent. Moreover, about 821 million people are food-deprived, and over 650 million people suffer from obesity globally. Therefore, malnutrition has become a massive challenge for the economic, social, and health sectors.
It is high time for the government and us to take significant steps to cut down the curse of society, malnutrition. To eliminate malnutrition, i.e., hunger, and ensure the quality of food, we have to ensure the quality of nutrition available and not about the lack of food. So to reduce the malnutrition issue prevailing in society, we have to come together and make innovative solutions to address the double burden of food scarcity and obesity. In this situation, private corporations have a vital role to play in the nutrition sector.
Role Of Business In Nutrition Sector
Businesses are a big part of the success or failure of any programs against malnutrition. You can find all types of biofortified products and replacement of nutrients that were available only from natural ingredients a few years back in the market. These products have an enormous influence on a person's health from a very young age. Moreover, the tax imposed on basic nutritional food like good quality rice, highly nutritional yet cheaper fruits and vegetables, and other highly impacting nutritional food products also boosts malnutrition.
However, businesses can help countries fight malnutrition as they have the capacity to give local businesses in developing countries the tools required to produce fortified products themselves. In addition, they can join hands with local wholesalers, producers, and retailers to minimize the expenditure and reduce the product's retail price, thus making it accessible for every economical state family or person. Moreover, good and sustainable businesses can also bring their competitors to join the fight to bring more nutritional food items at a budget-friendly price.
Conclusion
Businesses have a very vital role in cutting down the malnutrition in our society. Every business, whether small or big, if they come up together, can bring a magnificent change in the eating habits of the people and thus help push the obese category people from malnutrition to a healthy person. Moreover, it will also help the under-nourished people afford good quality food and thus become healthy. If you want to help people overcome malnutrition, donate to us or join hands with us and volunteer with us in making us reach every hand to quality food. We, IEF OOYE North America, work for a good cause and make a better world for every person, so if you want to know us, check our website and dig our works a little deeper.
Reference:
Technoserve. 2019. A-business-solution-to-malnutrition-in-nigeria. 20th Dec. A Business Solution to Malnutrition in Nigeria. [Online]. [16 March 2022]. Available from: https://www.technoserve.org/blog/a-business-solution-to-malnutrition-in-nigeria/
