Sustainable access to food stressed

KARACHI:

The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Karachi Dr June Kuncoro Hadiningrat on Tuesday said hunger was not only about undernourishment but it was also about having sustainable access to enough food, in quantity and quality, to meet the nutritional needs of people for a healthy life.

"Obesity and its associated non-communicable diseases are also on the rise affecting people globally," he said addressing a seminar Our actions are Our Future - Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment and Better Life organised by the Karachi University Department of Food Science and Technology.

"World Food Day is a global action to strengthen international and national solidarity in the fight to end poverty, malnutrition, and hunger. With such a challenging goal, we all need to work together," Hadiningrat said.

"We need stronger policies and political commitment to invest in nutrition and build healthy and sustainable food systems," he added.

Malnutrition in all its forms has a serious cost for individuals, families, communities, and countries. Poor quality diets have become the single largest contributor to the global burden of disease and early death. KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi stressed that people should follow the principles of hygiene while eating food as it was essential for a healthy life.

Food Science and Technology Professor Dr Ghaffar Saeed said 16 per cent of food was wasted while buying and selling, at processing stages, in restaurants, hotels, and homes, and 30 percent of the food was wasted without consuming it which was a matter of concern.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2021.