Over the years, agri-food systems have played a central role in the discussion on sustainable development particularly due to the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change that have exacerbated the challenges in achieving food security. Access to healthy diets also remains to be an issue as malnutrition continues to manifest in all its forms, with an estimated 149 million children under the age of five being stunted and over 45 million suffering from wasting, as reported by the World Health Organisation.
Today, more than two years into the pandemic, the road to achieving the goal of ending hunger and malnutrition in all its forms remains to be challenging as global food prices continue to soar. This further limits food consumption, both in terms of quantity and quality, of most consumers especially those belonging to lower income households.
In the local context, malnutrition poses a serious threat with the country ranking fifth among countries in the East Asia and Pacific region with the highest prevalence of stunting and among the 10 countries globally with the highest number of stunted children. Data from the latest survey conducted by the Department of Science and Technology - Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) also shows that about 62% of the households, from the 40.2% reported in 2019, have experienced moderate to severe food insecurity. One of the initiatives launched by the government to address the growing problem of malnutrition is the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2017-2022 which aims to address malnutrition through the implementation of its 12 programs, 8 of which are nutrition specific while 1 is nutrition-sensitive and three are enabling support programs.
Indeed, the call to attain food security and promote healthier diets has never been more urgent. It is to this end that the ECCP, along with its Food and Beverage Committee, is hosting a hybrid advocacy event entitled, "Building a Healthier Philippines: Strengthening Partnership and Policies for Nutrition" on 31 August 2022, 10:00-12:00 NN to raise awareness on the significance of nutrition in the country's plight towards recovery. The webinar will feature discussions on the plans and programs of the new administration to resolve the issue of food insecurity as well as promote nutrition and multi-stakeholder dialogues on innovative solutions to improve nutrition outcomes.
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